The Space of Memory: Bill T. Jones’s Analogy Trilogy

Abstract

This article analyzes the progression of memory as a spatial metaphor in Bill T. Jones’s Analogy Trilogy. By considering memory as a source of both history and creativity, I show how the spatial metaphor accrues increasing political vitality. To this end, I rely on Jacques Rancière’s understanding of the emancipated spectator, alongside Rancière’s more recent work on the position and perception of dance. Ultimately, I argue that the final scene of the Analogy Trilogy does not simply complete the spatial metaphor, but exceeds it: the space created by the work exists somewhere between the mind of the artist and that of the spectator.