We were instructed for our Thursday class to present an image of our solo project or a definite set of images for the beginning middle and end of our performance. The image I wanted to present originally was simply of a mirror in front of a flat with the projected images hitting that flat and mirror. I felt during the preparation for the presentation of this image that I needed another aspect of my set like the mirror which held a symbolic meaning. An idea that I thought of and used in my presentation was placing lots of white unsealed envelopes around me. The envelopes that I placed around me to seemed to symbolise my longing for a relationship with this Grandmother I have never met. The letters being unsealed are also symbolic of my attempt to express and communicate my feelings to her.
Nancy gave each of us feedback and my feedback that she has given me is really helping me to fully form and develop my piece
- Spread the whole stage with envelopes
- Develop Middle
- Write 100 Questions I want to ask my Grandma ( Stream of `consciousness)
- Prerecord these questions
- Move away from mirror- Sit down at the front of the stage
- Mention Grandma's hepatitis
- Firm up ending
- Still see if can use mini projector
- Prerecord all dialogue ?
- Image should hit my face at the end.
- On Que Cards write out questions
- Possible Dialogue- Use letters that I use to write to Grandma as a little girl
This feedback I found really useful because it has enabled me to really consider the arc or plot of my performance especially the central part. Nancy asked me why I had chosen to use to the empty envelopes and I explained to her that the idea was taken from my own childhood. When I was a child for several years I used to write letters to my grandma that I would always place in an envelope but never send. In these letters I remember asking various questions about her life. I have decided to use these questions as a source for starting the middle section of my dialogue . The questions I think will reveal my eagerness and longing to be connected to her the real person and her world. I am thinking of recording the questions and them being a constant cacophony of noise that gradually fades out as my Grandmothers image hits my face. This would suggest she is a fading presence that emerges and leaves my life..I feel I need to test these ideas and incorporate within the piece to see if it fits the direction that my piece is going in.
In the second half of our class Leentje introduced us to a Laban exercise. In the exercise each group member tells the person next to them something which is seemingly impossible to achieve like eating a chair. The person who received this impossible task had to create a piece of movement that included no dialogue only sound. Gradually as the task went along the performers shared their movements creating duet performances that culminated in groups performance that included three found objects and lines of dialogue. Rudolf Van Laban a prominent figure renowned for his movement system used exercises such as this one to 'score' or 'annotate' movement. Laban considered that every movement makes up or forms a 'script' which details each movement precisely. When I was participating in this activity I found that each movement I took from my partner helped to form and develop a narrative. The exercise itself made me consider how simple movements can be so effective to explain or to address a meaning. It also made me actually consider how carefully you need to be when allocate time throughout any piece. It made me consider that I need to be more aware of how I am managing my time in my performance.
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