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The Pre-Performative Gaze in Connective Trance: A Perceptual Threshold Prior to Artistic Creation

Mario Enrique Medina

preprint DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.6129088 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper
Key points Argues that a transformation of the gaze observed in creative subjects immediately before artistic action is an early, observable marker of an embodied reorganization of attention, and proposes this state as a distinct experiential threshold the author calls "Connective Trance," in which instrumental perception is suspended and creative potential is activated before action occurs.

Abstract

This article examines a subtle yet recurrent perceptual phenomenon observed in creative subjects immediately prior to artistic action: a transformation of the gaze. Rather than indicating distraction or dissociation, this altered gaze is proposed as a pre-performative state intrinsic to what the author conceptualizes as Connective Trance. The study argues that the gaze functions as an early, observable marker of an embodied reorganization of attention that precedes creative execution. Drawing on phenomenology (Merleau-Ponty), depth psychology (Jung), and contemporary research on attention and creativity, the article situates Connective Trance as a distinct experiential threshold in which instrumental perception is suspended and creative potential is activated before action occurs.