Category Archives: Initial Response

My Inspiration

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To start with I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing, I felt completely lost. I didn’t like the idea that I couldn’t control what I was studying and what I was reading about. I felt like I had too much to think about and I got completely confused. Only until the last few weeks of the module when we were putting our piece together was when I realised who much I liked it because of how much it challenged me to try new things and think about why we do what we do, and what is the meaning behind it.

One of the sessions right at the beginning of the module was inspired by Marina Abramovic and Ulay about Nightsea the durational one on one performance of which they stared at each other and were motionless for hours. We did our own version where we all sat opposite someone and stared into their eyes until we were told to stop. I have a problem with sitting still anyway so I found this really difficult. We didn’t have any sense of time so we had no idea how long we had been sat there for. Throughout this experience, I went through so many different mind sets from being bored, to being in excruciating pain. It felt like I was losing consciousness throughout which was a very weird feeling, with times that I would snap back into it and think ‘oh god, I am actually doing this’. Towards the end I felt numb, I felt like I had been plunged back into reality from a very strange dream that seemed so real. There were points that I was either breakdown and cry or walk out and not come back. I finally made it through to the end after what seemed a very long 1hr 45mins. We then all sat and talked about our different experiences after a short break where we listened to how other people got themselves through it. It was very interesting.

Abramovic and Ulay’s Nightsea Crossing was shown in a gallery in 1982 for 21 days over June, August and September. When I looked into this I found it very interesting that they did it in a gallery like a piece of art. They were asked questions in an interview about the work they were carrying out in the gallery. A seven hour durational piece between the hours of ‘10.00am until 5.00pm. The seven hours was also important because we wanted to avoid people seeing the beginning and end. When they come to the gallery we are already there, like any other piece. And when they got a 5.00, the gallery is closed and the guard comes and tell us it’s the end. The public only see one image’ (Nick &Kaye p183). I found this particularly interesting because they didn’t want the audience to see them come out of the zone they had put themselves in because it would have given away the illusion and it would become something completely different. Abramovic and Ulay were then asked ‘Did you state that you would be sitting motionless for the duration of the performance?’ (Nick & Kaye p 184) I found the response really inspiring:

‘No. So people are always waiting for something to happen. But when they finally come to realise that that’s the reality of the thing, they start making contact with the piece itself. In the Nightsea Crossing, after ten,fifteen, forty-eight hours, the whole space is charged with energy. And that energy affects you. To charge a space with energy needs a long time.’ (Abromavic. Nick & Kaye, p184)

People do this when they walk into a gallery and look at the paintings for a period of time and not realise how long they have been staring. I feel that if someone was stood watching someone just sit may be a little different because it’s actually a living person. It may take someone longer to work out the story or the reason why from Abromavic’s piece to an ordinary painting.

At this point, the whole idea of one on one performance’s became quite prominent. I found it really interesting and fascinating to read about a durational piece that was so simple but massively effective at the same time. I also felt the same way about one on one performance’s because from what I have learnt, you can get so much more out of a one on one performance than watching or participating in something that involves a group of people.

After we had done the staring exercise in class, it took me a few days to get over the initial shock of going through mixed emotions to then realise that I actually did like it and of how effective it was.

Nick Kaye & Kaye Nick. Art Into Theatre (Marina Abramovic) pp. 183 & 184. Routledge

First Impressions

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Right from the start of the project, Contemporary Experimental Performance was really had to get your head around. There was so much going on and so much to talk about that all the answers ended with an open question.

It took me a while to get used to the idea of not thinking about it too much and just going in with an open mind and just see what happened. After a while I got into it and started to understand that the whole reason behind it is to not get stressed over not getting one aspect of a ‘performance’.

The first lesson really made me think about what a performance is, how and when it is a performance. In the first instance I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to say my own opinion in fear that someone would tell me that I was wrong and that I didn’t understand. But from the discussions I came to realise that I could input my ideas on how I saw the work from my view.

Schechner’s explanation of ‘what is performance?’ made me think about how performing can come across in different ways.

‘In business, sports, and sex, “to perform” is to do something up to a standard – to succeed, to excel. In the arts, “to perform” is to put on a show, a play, a dance, a concert. In everyday life, “to perform” is to show off, to go to extremes, to underline an action for those who are watching. In the twenty-first century, people as never before live by means of performance.’

(Schechner. 2002, p28)

I found this particularly interesting because it explains how in different aspects of life, there is always a performance. I only really had a small idea about this and I didn’t really given it much thought until we had a detailed discussion about what it means to perform.

Another point that I also found interesting from this extract was the breakdown of the different types of performance.

‘”To perform” can also be in relation to:

  • Being
  • Doing
  • Showing doing
  • Explaining “showing doing”

(Schechner. 2002, p28)

Looking at performance through the four examples really got my mind thinking about how performing can change so dramatically over different aspects of everyday life and how they are perceived.

From being a young child I have always loved going to the theatre to watch performances, I also love films, anything that I can get into. But I have never thought about the underlying subtext of a story before the discussions in class. Every time I go to the theatre, even now, I go for the storyline, to see the amazing costumes and set design, but sometimes I can’t help thinking about putting into this context of showing doing and what a performance is. Is theatre performance for the audience entertainment? Of course it is, but many people probably wouldn’t look further than what they are watching and thinking about the deeper meaning of what it is to perform.

Restored behaviour was equally as interesting as what is a performance because it made me realise that we do do that in everyday life.

‘Restored behavior is the key process of every kind of performing, in everyday life, in healing, in ritual, in play, and in the arts.’  (Schechner. 2002, p34)

I find it so interesting to see what people do in everyday life. The smallest thing we do is classed as some sort of performance. Some people may disagree with this because it is everyone’s individual opinion.

Schechner, R. (2002) Performance Studies: An Introduction. ‘What is perfomance?’. pp.28 & 34. London: Routledge

“Sitting Still”

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Looking at what through performance, could push the limits of our body and minds.

 

Before we started this experiment, we were given an extract to read on by Marina Abramovic’s performance Nightsea Crossing which is a  durational piece that lasted for seven hours a day and was over a period of 90 days in variety of settings. In order for this performance to be successful, they had to get the right balance of equal personalities in order to create a piece that was meaningful to the both of them.

In this performance Marina and her college  devised a performance showing them exchanging air by locking their mouths and passing oxygen and carbon dioxide between each other.   They had only lasted for seventeen minutes and had collapsed because of their lungs being filled with carbon dioxide.

The spaces they used for the performance were in galleries and museums for seven hour days on the opening and closing times (10am – 5pm) of the galleries and museums.

The meaning behind this piece of performance is about experiencing the moment and connecting with the spectator. In this circumstance Marina and Ulay are sat on chairs, staring at each other, thus creating an atmosphere of energy that in-corporates the audience and making them aware that they are watching a performance.

In one of Marinas performance of Nightsea Crossing she invited the audience to take part and sit with her. This was part of her solo act. Here you were able to see some people get up and leave after a few minutes, whereas one audience member sat with her for the whole day. This brings to light, “the main interest…” in “the process of being sat motionless for a very, very long time” (Kaye, 1996, pg 183).

When it came to us re-enacting Marina’s Nightsea Crossing,  we followed the same concept of sitting across another person whilst keeping eye contact. However, we did not do it for seven hours as it was workshop related. The duration of this performance was 45 minutes. Once this task was completed we had a discussion of how the performance effected us and everyone had a vary of answers from mental to emotional manipulation, thinking that the person opposite yourself is reading your thoughts and bringing out the insecurities that you hid from the world into reality. Furthermore, we were in a studio with quite a number of us being part of the performance, but this did not hinder the concept of isolation, as if there was no one else in the room but you and your performing partner.

In addition to this, some people were able to remain focussed and sat still throughout, whereas, others needed to move about by adjusting their seating positions, some felt like crying and others were falling asleep. My personal experience, was trying to be mentally focused on the task given. At times I would falter by dozing off or start creating stories in my mind in order to while away the time. However, when I began to fall into that state, I would snap back reminding myself that I am performing. This made me analyse the concept of silence and the boundaries in which our minds and bodies can go beyond. Also, I began thinking what internal questions the audience members would have once they were in that environment. Would they pick  up on what was going on in the minds of the performer? Would they too start mimicking the performers slight movements if they were taking part in the act?

The notion of sight was the forefront in the performance, as we the performers subconsciously began mimicking our partner’s slight movements and mannerisms due to our visions becoming blurred and infusing our surroundings into one central point. I felt my partner and I imitating each other unconsciously like moving our head slightly and coughing or blinking. In regards to the blnking I could see that we were both blinking at the same time.

 

Naomi

Work Cited

Kaye, Nick (1996) Art Into Theatre London: Routledge

 

 

 

My Thought Process Part V – Response To Hugging Exercise

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In order to explore the increased level of intimacy that will occur during a one-to-one performance, our group have explored these levels privately as a group. We devised an exercise which borrowed elements from performing artists Adrian Howells and Marina Abramovic. We borrowed Adrian Howells’ concept that we communicate more through touch than voice and mixed that with Marina Abramovic’s durational performances. What we created is an exercise where two people hug for 5 minutes uninterrupted. We then developed this exercise further by experimenting with hugging in different situations which provoked  different feelings of intimacy. First we hugged side by side, then hugging whilst sitting on each other’s lap, then laying down on top of a bed and hugging and finally laying down under the duvet whilst hugging. Please see the post Our first practice by Gabriel for a video of this exercise being performed.

I found that the more intimacy the situation provoked the more intimate the hug became. Hugging under a duvet is a lot more intimate than hugging side by side. The factor of time was also important in developing the intimacy. When we hug someone who is dear to us, rarely do we hug them for even a minute in length at a time even though it may feel longer. By having a set duration of 5 minutes you go on this internal journey that takes you past your boundaries of comfort and into a new place in which only you and the one you are hugging exist in.

For me the most intimate hug was the one which took place under a duvet. I believe this is because of the childhood association we have with the duvet. As a child we believe that being under the duvet is a place of safety and I feel that, that childhood belief transcends the barriers we place upon ourselves as adults. Again, the duration of the hug really aids in going well beyond your internal comfort zone.

We have also come up with how we can incorporate the use of media in our performance. We are going to change the duvet from a physical one to a metaphorical one and see if when people are given something to ‘hide’ under, such as a pseudonym on an online chat room, do they feel like they can go beyond their internal comfort zone and share intimate parts of their lives? This will be something we will need to explore with people who are not in our small group as we are all quite open with each other. We are also going to use a webcam to live stream our performance for the world to see, of course the participants will be unaware of this because we want their reactions to be genuine and not ‘acted for the camera’. We want their reactions to be like that of Marina Abramovic in the video I included in my post My Thought Process Part II. If you have not yet seen this video, please do watch it.

And so the journey begins.

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Choosing Contemporary Experimental Theatre as a module was intended to provide myself with a challenged. I didn’t really understand much surrounding the concept of a Contemporary Experimental performance. So far it has been an interesting journey which has provided me with several questions to be answered:

How do we truly define performance?
When does something stop being a performance?
Do we constantly perform? 
Are we really an individual?
Do we really think for ourselves or are we always influenced by other people?
How far is too far when pushing boundaries? For the audience but also the actor?
Is language necessary?
When will something stop being Contemporary Experimental and become the norm?

These questions may never recieve a solid answer because it is mainly down to personal opinion. There doesn’t seem to be any set rules surrounding this idea of Contemporary Experimental.

Influences so far.

Is language necessary for a great performance? In my opinion if the performance is done with the desired effect then there isn’t always a need for words. Marina Abramović is a great example of this with her piece The Artist is Present. Trying out this experiment in class showed how an atmosphere could be created by the simpliest things. It also taught me that sometimes simplicity is the key to success. Throughout the experiment I found it difficult to focus, I would go through stages of drifting away but not really to places that I wanted to go. During this process, as much as I tried not to, I would make eye contact with people other than the person opposite me. Personally I think this was a safety thing, a ‘yeah its all ok, we’re still here’ type thing.

salon_20070627
We also recently explored Adrian Howells and Salon Adrienne which showed how language can be a necessity. In Salon Adrienne language is used to help settle people and make them feel at ease, Adrian has no hidden motive throughout his performances which then helps the participant to ‘open up’ and share with them something that they normally wouldn’t share. Salon Adrienne is situated in a hairdressers and so this automatically set ups the awkward conversations you get with hairdressers. Adrian moves away from the awkward chat and leads you down a more initimate path.

With these artists in mind, I feel it is important to explore the necessity of having words in our own performance. The whole idea of words interests me because in everyday life we hardly use any of the words in the English Language. We tend to stick with the words that we know and use these over and over to describe our situations. The Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use yet we only use a couple thousand of these in our lives.

The fact that our own performance is just beginning and still has time and space to grow makes me excited because who knows what path we are going to follow. It is going to create more questions which ultimately can only be answered using personal opinions.