The Dumb Type Reader - Softcover

From the 1980s into the early 2000s, the Japanese group Dumb Type mounted multimedia performances that broke substantial new ground in new media dramaturgy and influenced countless performers to follow. This book gathers essays on the groups work, achievement, and influence, analysing such key works as S/N, which marked the first time a major Japanese artwork staged a debate around the politics of sexuality and difference. Other works -- including p/b, OR, and memorandum -- come under close scrutiny as well, and contributors also attend to more recent works by individual Dumb Type artists. This is the most extensive exploration of Dumb Type to date, and it will be essential for scholars of contemporary new media performance.

Peter Eckersall is professor of Asian theater at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Edward Scheer is professor of theater and performance studies at the University of New South Wales. Fujii Shintaro is professor on the faculty of letters at Waseda University.