연극에서 ‘무료함’의 미학과 관객성의 전환 -후기 자본주의적 시간성과 정동의 연극적 실험 전략

초록

This paper analyzes the aesthetic strategy of boredom in contemporary theater as an affective practice that disrupts the sensory regime of late capitalism. Rather than viewing boredom as mere emotional inertia, the study conceptualizes it as a dissonance in sensory rhythm—a moment in which automated perceptual circuits are suspended or desynchronized, allowing a break from the disciplined state of attentiveness. Drawing on Jonathan Crary’s theory of the “economy of attention,” Brian Massumi’s affect theory, and Giorgio Agamben’s notion of inoperativity, this paper explores how boredom operates as a site for reconfiguring affective responsiveness within the broader system of sensory control. In the context of digital networks, boredom functions as a theatrical tactic that delays sensory automation and interrupts the flow of optimized emotional responses. Case studies—including Forced Entertainment (UK), Dead Centre (Ireland), and Nature Theater of Oklahoma (USA)—demonstrate how boredom is rendered as an aesthetic device through techniques such as temporal suspension, informational absence, and sensory disruption. These strategies establish conditions in which spectators may shift from emotional immersion to affective attunement. Ultimately, the affective deflection generated by boredom opens a subtle fissure within the emotional apparatus of sensory capitalism, revealing the potential for critical reorientation and embodied resistance.

키워드