Embodied Practise Emily Maughan
January 2012
Contents
1-
Here Lies.
2– 3
Embodied Practise introduction.
4-
You are Unique.
5-7
Thought Experiments
8-
Leah Dieterich and Me.
9-
Work in Progress.
10-
Ashtanga Yoga.
11-
Discoveries in Myself.
12-
Don‘t be Afraid to ‗Not Know.‘
13-
Fear, Frustration and Realisation.
14-15-
Marina Abramovic Sessions.
16-
An Exercise in Fortitude.
17-18-
The Ways of William.
19-
The Hour we Knew Nothing.
20-21
Spaces In-between.
22-
This is Not the End.
23-
Note to Self.
24-25-
Bibliography.
1
Here lies
notes research
thoughts
worries
Silence
pictures
Spaces Now
strain smiles
confusion
Flow Inspiration
frustration Ensemble Surprises
Economy
Dreams
mental blocks This
Time tears sweat Moment Enlightenment anger aches pains
ideas
reflections
criticisms
Mistakes
Emotion Loves
references decisions Void Empathy directions processes Failure
compositions Breath
I hope you enjoy the journey, ‌..I did
Drawing by Claire Quailmann
2
Embodied Practise “Without imagination, nothing in the world could be meaningful, we
could never make sense of our experience. Without imagination, we could never reason toward knowledge of reality…. The central role of human imagination in all meaning., understanding and reasoning‖. Johnson 1987 Physical Theatres, A critical introduction
I think embodied practise is a combination of body, mind, emotion and voice. With research and practise I hope to become more confident and articulate in merging these elements together. I have been exasperated, flummoxed and altogether lost at some points during this process but this is part of a deepened sense of self awareness and I am learning how to ‘leave the comfort zone.‘ In our sessions, concentration is given to developing skills such as focus, attention, playing, stillness, working as an ensemble and moving with economy- meaning to use precise, definite movements.
Emotion is shown in the face and voice but the body is often forgotten or separated. ―discovering the
physically expressive body which thus becomes an articulate equal to voice and face, instead of being reduced to a vehicle for carrying face and voice around the stage.‖ (Murray/Keefe.2007. p.56) In the book ‗Physical Theatre an introduction‗ (2007) Murray and Keefe talk about ‗the every day body.‘ This is the frame you are caged in all day, everyday. This frame feels pain and love. This form eats, sleeps, works and dies. It is arguable that when you perform, the ‗every day‘ body is left behind; thus you become a character or an alter ego. You do not bring your ‗own life emotions‘ into practise. In many theatre performances this is the case. A scripted play has the characters laid out and your lines are given, you are directed in how to move and speak. Many actors concentrate solely on the face and the voice in an over the top and hyperbolized way.
Copeau was one of the first theatre makers to see that theatre had become pompous and the actors would be nothing but ‗ham acting‘, meaning ‗over the top.‘ They recited lines with overblown gestures and exaggerated vocals. Copeau wanted improvisation to be brought to the forefront and his actors to actually think and feel. He set up vigorous work outs to make them focused, alert and in the zone. He changed theatre in extraordinary ways, directing some of the greatest scripted plays but the acting was now believable and realistic.
Dictionary definition. Embody-
represent materialise
Embodiment- representation
3
Instead of simply playing a character, it is a necessity to make use of your everyday body and mind. For instance, if acting a part where your heart is broken, bring your own personal experience of lost love into the performance. The quote below explains how Bausch would push her dancers to the extreme and she understands raw emotion is required. The dancers must feel the movement not simply perform a dance routine. Bausch‘s work is expressive, beautiful and astounding. As a performance artist, I feel comforted with this text, as I agree whole heartedly with every word. Although Bausch is a dancer and choreographer I postulate the quote applies to all performance and theatre.
―We worked on improvisations in which actors played out the process of memory which lies at the heart of all his stories. We created the atmosphere of his times and the mechanism of his dreams. We investigated the rhythm of his nightmares.‖ Theatre de Complicite
1999
―The dancers were asked to push beyond their accustomed role as impersonal movers to bring more of their individual lives to bear on material the material and the means of expression. The dancers were increasingly asked to put themselves in very demanding emotional situations, Bausch was beginning to undercover the very heart of the dance, the motivating impulse from which movement begins, and that impulse is always a person in a specific situation.‖ Climenhaga, 2009
In performance art ‗everyday body‘ is used, along side the ‗every day‘ mind and voice. You are laid bare; thus enabling you to give yourself to the moment and the audience. Abramovic said ―Performance art is the moment the
performer steps in front of the audience. It is not theatre, performance is real.‖ At first I found this way of thinking difficult to comprehend. Throughout my life my practise had been with scripted work. I was frightened to suddenly feel so vulnerable and exposed. To begin with I struggled, with learning to experiment with my body and voice. I have attempted things I would never have dared do. Slowly but surely I hope to lose my inhibitions.
4
You are unique The body is remarkable, the way it can bend, stretch, lengthen, contort, twist, turn, sway and balance. The brain too is a remarkable thing, the way it thinks, stores, empties, fills, remembers, forgets and memorises. They connect together to form one unique, remarkable person. One of a kind. We are different from each other and yet we are the same.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
Wish I had curly hair, brown eyes and that I was tall and brilliant at mathematics. This is what you and I do, we forget our uniqueness and the fact that we can do things others cannot, just as they can do things we cannot. Spending so much time wishing we were different. Living in the future, you forget the now, the present, the moment, today, this and here.
Appreciate yourself, every day. Be gentle on yourself. Take care of your body and brain.
its gone, so quickly, gone.
You are unique.
We are different from each other because our brains work in different ways.
Why do we spend our time wishing we were someone else?
5
Thought experiments Reckless Sleepers are a mesmerising and imaginative devised theatre company who take everything to the extreme and make anything possible. Their performance ‗Schrodinger‘ (2006) is about Edwin Schrodinger who was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1933 for ‗Schrodinger‘s Cat Thought Experiment‘. I was intrigued by the words ‗Thought Experiment‘, it sounded exciting. I was perplexed as to how a cat was involved, after watch the performance I wanted to know exactly what this theory was. I watched a video which explained ―A cat is put in an enclosed box with a small amount of radioactive material and a vial of poison gas. There is an exact 50/50 chance that an atom in the radioactive material will decay and emit an electron which will release the gas and kill the cat. The point of this experiment is that until you open the box the cat exists. There is a possibility it is dead and a possibility it is alive. Schrödinger put forward this idea to demonstrate the absurdity of Quantum Theory.‖ This theory fascinated me and was something I had known nothing about. I found it exciting as an idea for performance, Reckless Sleepers thought the same. A box on stage containing five performers with many exits and entrances. Inside the box you observe the performers record experiments, rules and mathematical questions and complicated ideas to do with quantum physics. This for me is most definitely a ‗thought experiment‘ … I can‘t stop thinking!
A-
Will curiosity kill this cat?
B-
No that will be the poison gas set off by a decaying atom in the radio active material silly!
A–
But are you sure an atom will decay?
B-
NO.
A–
So the odds are 50/50?
B–
YES.
A–
Hmm, curious.
B–
Well would you like to go in the box and‗ kill‘ your curiosity?
Imagine looking inside the brain of a quantum physician. The performers were representing intricate thoughts and impossible equations that you or I could not try to fathom. Methodical chaos is dancing in front of you. The movements were as precise as a ticking clock, the ensemble perfectly in tune, breaking and bending with each other. Text was slow, then fast, it could be vociferous cries or faint whispers. The set was diminutive and claustrophobic resembling a buzzing bee hive with a thousand entrances and exits.
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‗Schrödinger's box. It is black and grey. The performers are compacted and tightly enclosed, with a host of doors and trap doors. When one door shuts another one opens.
―A small unwritten set of breakable rules started to take shape. Ideas became central, projects were installed rather than presented, mistakes were embraced, ideas were given a chance, ideas were pushed so that they became uncomfortable to do, uncomfortable to listen to, uncomfortable to watch.” Mole Wetherell, Reckless Sleepers, 1988
Schrödinger– Reckless Sleepers. 2006
NOTE TO SELF
I wanted to look in the unopened box, asking ‗is the cat alive or dead?‘ It‘s a 50/50 chance. The image of an hour going by, and not knowing the answer, ‗Is the cat dead or alive or is it both?‘ Both Schrödinger's theory and Reckless Sleepers performance have triggered excitement and utter confusion within me. I will have many sleepless nights thinking about the ‗Cat Thought Experiment.‘ I want to find a similar source to this and I am going to look at science and theories in more depth as this is such a mind blowing idea. The idea of the cat in the box is somewhat uncomfortable, but what a concept to make a deliriously deranged performance out of a seemingly maniacal but award winning experiment.
A session we had which was inspired by Reckless Sleepers included a piece of text called A-Trophy, this consisted of two lists, ‗People you would like to thank‘ and ‗what have you lost?‘ this was ‗ATrophy‘ is a three year research project that was proposed by the company and funded by The Arts Council who support the initial phases of new projects. Were asked to make our own thank you and lost lists, the first things that came into our head. Then to devise a five minute performance. Turn the page to read mine.
Today I feel skittish, capricious and irresolute.
7
H a
What have you lost? I lost my bottle, I miss it dearly, please come back. If you happen to see it please let it know where I am.
Who would you like to thank?
I have lost the ages of twenty-one to twenty three, I am not at all sad about losing them though.
Thank-you lavender for dosing my pillow so I can sleep an have extraordinary dreams.
A lost memory card for my camera, it was there one minute then vanished.
Big thanks to my electric tooth brush for erasing some tarnishing from my exsmokers teeth. Now how about my tarnished mind?
A beautiful scarf knitted by my friend, I only had it a week. My teddy called Bright Eyes, named from the Hazel the rabbit from the film Watershipdown, This film still traumatises me to this very day. I have lost special people, Morgie, Polly, Wanda, Raymund and Betty, to name but a few. These people are in my head when I wake and when I sleep, so I guess that means they are not really lost?
Thank you white feathers and crystals for making me believe there is magic. Thank-you to my mattress topper for making my bed a lovely place to be, but difficult to get out of. A huge shout out to Marmite who has supported me every day from the age of two years old. Thank you to my friends for telling me exactly how it is and for trying to take me for what I am., well most of them. Mum and Dad it is impossible for me to put into words the thanks you deserve. Thank you hula hoop for our daily half hour. Thank you Matthew because you know me, you really do.
Leah Dieterich is famous for her thank you notes' turn over to hear about her
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Leah Dieterich and me Dieterich published the book ‘Thx, thx ,thx‘. Her mother always used to tell her to write thank you letters for receiving a present for example. Dieterich became obsessed with writing thank you notes, As time went by she had so many notes she made a blog and published a book in which she thanked anything and everything everyday. I bought a copy of this book, at the front is a small envelope with a blank note inside. For the reader to write their own note. Below is the scan of my thank you note from the book.
This picture is taken from a site specific performance project with lecturers Katie Etheridge and Simon Persighetti. Transfers are made and stuck to a body part such as the hand. They are then matched perfectly to the object. They used trees, lamp posts even a huge crane. And a bridge. Below is my favourite a hand with the transfer on a post box. Performance really is everywhere you look.
I love the concept of this book and the fact that every reader who buys a copy has their own paper and envelope to send all over the world. You can make your mood change by writing these notes and have a much more positive outlook. They encourage you to notice how many things you can thank, no matter how silly or small.
I am going to post the note- as Dieterich did provided an envelope!-to an old friend I haven‘t seen for thirteen years.
We had a short amount of time to think what to write. It was therapeutic. The list of thanks made me realise how many things I had to be thankful for, I could have kept writing for days. The lost list made me feel nostalgic, I found it harder to write. This exercise was great for starting points and text for performance. I loved how some things I scribbled down were personal and heart-felt while others were silly, odd and impersonal. You could probably tell a lot about a person by looking at their ‗Thank you‘ and ‗lost‘ lists.
Post a letter to a friend or someone you haven‘t spoken to for a long time. It is lovely to receive and no one writes letters anymore. Impersonal emails, confusing texts and the dreaded Facebook have taken over our brains. We don‘t even make calls anymore unless we HAVE to. You can be in touch at the click of a button but still feel very alone.
No one talks any more. Have we forgotten how?
9
I wrote this poem which I will make into a song. It is inspired by my embodied practise so far.
The title is ‗Inside an hour‘ - this came from the ‗Cat Thought Theory‘ , In the experiment there was an hour of not knowing whether the cat in the box was dead or alive. I will be accompanied by a guitar only. To get the effect of many voices, and tones and harmonies I will use double tracking. A music student has agreed to help me record in a studio in the next couple of months. They also want to use it for one of their music modules, so I am really pleased with the out come. This will be an ongoing project.
Thoughts and emotions =
The context of the poem is about people I have lost but am thankful I knew and that they have never truly gone. It is a lullaby. The verses are about being strong and not being afraid. The chorus is the singer and lost souls /angels and they join together to form a ethereal chorus. The imagery of my idea is people pass on , but they never leave you. You must carry their memory and speak about them. Remember things they told you and things that they did. This way you carry them everywhere.
Inspiring artists =
Work in progress
In memory of Raymund
text and a song = Press record and keep forever
10
Ashtanga yoga The
Yama Niyama Asana Pranayama Pratyahara Dharana Dhyana Samadhi -
moral codes self-purification and study posture breath control sense control concentration meditation absorption into the universal
of the mind
Tufnell, Crickmay 1990
controlling
The head directs The torso is the power house The arms act upon the world The legs move the body around.
the
Balance and flexibility are a key focus. also To start this can be difficult but with practise you will see rapid improvements. An example being that I could not bend down and touch my toes, I couldn't get near them and now I can touch them.
yoga
Posture is important, and can be improved greatly with practise. Yoga concentrates on aligning the body. Until I started yoga, I did not realise how badly I hunch my shoulders when I walk or sit. Synchronising breathing with the movements heats and thins the blood so it circulates more freely.
of
Much emphasis is given to the importance of ‗correct breathing.‘ This type of yoga advises that you breathe only through the nose, keeping the mouth firmly shut. This method of breathing helps the body heat up, thus making you sweat more which will in turn disperse of unwanted toxins and impurities from the body and mind.
Ashtanga‘ means ‗eight limbs.‘ The path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices.
definition
In our Embodied sessions with Dr Joanne ‗Bob‘ Whalley, much focus has been given to Astanga yoga. From practise we have learnt correct breathing, good posture a deepened awareness of ourselves.
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Discoveries within myself Ashtanga yoga has benefitted me in many ways. The most noticeable being how much calmer I feel within myself. My brain feels less muddled and I am able to organise myself in more motivated and productive manner. I have always been vociferously critical of myself and this has both positive and negative affects. The positive being I strive be better and am proactive as a person. The negative side is I sometimes can‘t see the wood for the trees and forget to appreciate where I am right now. Too much time can be spent analysing flaws, mistakes and problems, though is helpful to learn from them , it can also be detrimental to confidence. I am finding things easier from practising yoga, as my mind is less cluttered and I am getting better at pushing pessimistic thoughts out of my head. How often do we hear ourselves say ‗I can‘t‘, ‗it‘s hard, and ‗I don‘t know how?‘ These kind of thoughts actually stop you from creating, devising and letting go. They hold you back . This has a negative effect when working alone or part of an ensemble. By clearing my head, I have more space for worthwhile thoughts, such as ‗I can‘, ‗this is fun‘ , ‗I will give it a go.’
Try this Find somewhere quiet. Sit with crossed legs and straight but relaxed posture. Concentrate firstly on your breathing. The slower you breath, the more you relax. Empty your mind.—This does not come easily. It is hard the first times you try this. It took much practise for to be able to think of nothing. I find closing my eyes and focusing on one object can helps. For instance try to visualise a leaf. Don‘t think of anything , just the leaf. Practise this for half an hour every day.
12
Don’t be afraid to not know I am more aware of my body and mind and what they can do easily and what they struggle with. In a video I watched at the Whitworth Gallery (2010) Marina Abramovic said ― don‘t always do what you like to do, what you know, otherwise you do the same things over and over and never change.‖ This quote stuck with me as I realised that is something I do. Something we all do. We know what our strengths are so we only focus on them, it is the security of knowing it can be done. I feel that people are afraid to fail, to go wrong and to look foolish. For instance in a lecture room packed with people you can feel too afraid to put up your hand and say ― I don‘t understand‖ or ―what do you mean?‖ The reason for this is you believe everyone else in the room knows the answer, they don‘t. I have noticed when I do pluck up courage to ask a question there is often a murmur round the room of ―I am glad you asked that, because I didn‘t understand, ― I didn‘t want to ask because I will look stupid.‖ This has
A)
given me relief and more confidence in seeing I was not the only one that didn‘t understand.
B)
Helped me realise that if I don‘t ask I won‘t learn, therefore cannot better myself., thus just staying the same, being stuck and never changing.
When working as with an ensemble things can become difficult. You have to remember that people won‘t always agree or want to use your ideas, this is why its called a ‗collaboration.‘ Equally this doesn‘t mean you can just sit back and let the others in the ensemble do all the work ….. This is often a problem. You have to find ways round it Delegation is a good way of making sure everybody pulls their weight.
13
Fear, frustration and realisation Scream a love poem Whisper a yell Talk angrily, but nervously Talk in gibberish Speak backwards Talk in numbers Constantly change pitch Talk in unison Interrupt someone continuously Talk while running Speak very slowly Talk in riddle Speak while laughing Talk with your mouth full Speak with no words Say a sad piece of text standing on your head
I find many people talking at once hard. It makes me panic. I want to over come this. Perhaps I will continue trying ideas and techniques from The Wooster Group and Suzuki . They show how you can experiment with text the tones, pitch, speed. You can manipulate text into anything you want.
I have learnt from this. I know I have to make myself do uncomfortable things, I need to leave the comfort zone. The more I do the more I will realise it was not so bad and not to worry what others think . To lay myself bare. For all to see. To not care.
I remember a workshop with Misha Miers. Four performers to stood up and each recited different texts, each performer had to interrupt and talk over one another but continue with text and not falter. I began to panic. I couldn‘t remember what I was saying, the voices of the other performers confused and unnerved me. I couldn‘t finish the task and asked to sit down. My eyes were burning with frustration and embarrassment. I was furious at myself.
What actually makes me tick? I am fascinated by body language and in eye contact. Some say the eyes are a window to the soul and I think there is definitely some truth in that. I am curious to know what in a song or a performance makes people cry. Is it the lyrics, the melody or tune? Is it nostalgia - a time, a place, a person that is remembered through the song. How, in a crowded room, can you feel so alone? I drawn to silence and solitude. How it feels to be totally alone. Animals and their behaviour. Emotions. I love pure emotion. Sensitivity. Memories. …..and the colour red.
14
Marina Abramovic sessions Abramovic is a performance artist I greatly admire. I watched ‗ The Artist is Present‘, a silent film. Over 75 days, a total of 716 hours and 30 minutes, 1545 people had a single portrait photo taken. The footage was surprisingly moving. Some of the people have tear stained faces. You began to notice every detail , every scar, mole and spot. The shape of the face, colour of the hair and contour of the skin. I was drawn to the eyes, they seemed to sparkle and dance, there was a glistening shine. A photograph yet seems each one was trying to tell you something. Some faces were troubled and dejected, others seemed fiery and impassioned. Some radiant and visibly beamed, calm and self assured. Some simply looked relieved. I was curious to know what they were thinking about? What made them cry? What is their name? What is their story? While observing my beliefs were strengthened that the eyes are the window to the soul.
Abramovic talked to a shepherd, if he was asked a question he would shut his eyes. Abramovic asked him ― why do you close your eyes when you speak?‖ He replied “ I don‘t need my eyes to
talk.‖
During our Abramovic based sessions one of the tasks set was to drink a full cup of water for ten minutes. Sit down and think about nothing but the water, empty your mind of everything else. In everyday life, we are in our bodies, but our minds are somewhere else; worrying about money, shopping lists and things to do. Time is taken up by thinking about other people, their problems and are they ok. A fact Abramovic gave was there are only two things in life where we don‘t think at all. This is when we sneeze and when we orgasm. All other actions and movements require thoughts, even when we dream we are thinking. It was a struggle at first to do this task. I concentrated on the water, the coolness. I thought about how it felt as it trickled down my throat and into my stomach. It made me thirsty and at one point I wanted to gulp the water down. I tried to empty my brain of all its worries and trivial things, to my surprise I was able to do this. Afterwards I felt calm, focused and relaxed.
Today I feel limpid, convivial and quiescent.
15
I found this quote difficult to understand to begin with. I don‘t hate theatre and I never will, but I am more aware of its transparency. Theatre, to an extent, is fake. Now when I see a theatre performance I am, if anything, touched by ennui. I don‘t find it as thrilling as I used to. I want absolute originality. I want indubitable emotion. The theatre companies I enjoy watching such as Forced Entertainment, The Wooster Group, Reckless Sleepers and Goat Island are original and contemporary. They are real, push boundaries and they are not afraid. In performance art I feel an affinity for Abramovic. She is often thought of as masochistic. She will inflict pain on herself and allow others to hurt her. For example she cut a pentagram on to her stomach for a lover. Abramovic then lay down surrounded by fire in the shape of a star, she lost consciousness.
―I test the limits of myself in order to transform myself but I also take the energy from the audience and transform it. It goes back to them in a different way. This is why people in the audience often cry or become angry or whatever. A powerful performance will transform everyone in the room." Abramovic 2010 This is the moment, the here and now. What the audience see is real, it was not a magician fooling the viewers and faking the show. The cuts, the blood and tears all were irrefutably real. This was unadulterated emotion. To see this live would be a moment you would not forget. It is both beautiful and horrific rolled into one. A good performance stays with you forever and can change who you are, it could just be a fraction, but it can change you.
"To be a performance artist, you have to hate theatre, Theatre is fake… The knife is not real, the blood is not real, and the emotions are not real. Performance is just the opposite: the knife is real, the blood is real, and the emotions are real.‖ Abramovic 2010
A beautiful but extreme exercise Abramovic undertook was ‘Cleaning the house‘ boot camp. Abramovic said ―we clean our outside
house, but we do not clean our inside house.‖ by this she means cleaning out our mind and our body. The boot camp included five days of fasting. No mobile phones, sex , television or reading. Exercises included standing naked opposite a partner and staring. This would be for a long periods of time. Others included being blindfolded and naked with everyone looking at you or Standing naked in the hot sun for hours and be photographed. The tasks were for endurance and mental focus. They helped to empty your brain and purge your body. The journey is an emotional katharsis. In our session we experimented with walking to a location and then blindfolding ourselves and trying to find the way back. To start we did this alone. We are all quick to say ‗oh I know the way even with my eyes closed‘ but you soon realise this is not the case and you become scared, vulnerable and lost. I found it quite frightening.
I am interested in endurance, stamina, deter mination, perseverance, heart, will, baring hardship, tolerance, restraint, with standing, intrepidly and fortitude.
16
An exercise in fortitude I experimented with twos day of silence and fasting. My aim was to get used to the kind of exercises Abramovic uses and to see how I felt. Thinking about the body as a medium and preparing the body for performance. This was the photograph I chose to look at over the two days.
No Phone, Computer , Visitors. Television Reading Singing Playing guitar Food
I could cope with not eating thus detoxing and clearing the bowels. Towards the end of the second day, I felt a little dizzy and weak, but it was nothing I couldn‘t handle. I imagine doing five days Abramovic style to be extraordinarily difficult, as after two days I was trying hard not to think about food. Many of us say ―Oh I am starving hungry.‖ when we do not have a clue how it feels to suffer malnutrition and famine. As you fast, you realise you have never come close to such deprivation. I felt humbled and guilty for all the comforts I have. Not eating would have been harder had I not been practising yoga and meditation. I focussed on being grateful for my health and all the good things in life. I thought about the ‗lost and ‗thank you‘ lists from earlier in this portfolio. I felt passive, calm and somewhat numbed by this experience. I spent ten minutes staring at the photograph and shut my eyes so I could visualise. I tried this for half an hour, but often lost the image in my mind as other thoughts got in the way. I will make time to practise meditation more frequently.
Yes Water Meditation Ashtanga Yoga Light candles A photograph
I found the silence blissful. I was able to think with more clarity. It was strangely enjoyable not having anyone getting in touch. I noted that from this I was focussed on just ‗being‘ rather than bogged down with everybody‘s problems, upsets, fall outs and worries. I should try to surround myself with things and people who make me feel good, not negative. Until I did this exercise, I did not realise how many superfluous thoughts I carried. I liked not using any technology. I noted how reliant we are on phones and computers. I need to stop detrimental thoughts and not let needless trivia enter my head. Instead think worthwhile thoughts and spend more time just listening and taking in the surroundings.
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The Ways of William. ―A dog does not look before it jumps , this is what a performer should do too. Don‘t think too much.‖ Robert Wilson
From our previous sessions we had learnt a great deal about body language and discovered how to move as a performer. Dr Joanne ‗Bob‘ Whalley brought her seven year old Dalmatian, William, for a session in animal and human behaviour and interaction. The similarities between animals and humans in performance became explicit.
―You play with what scares you and you play with what you need.‖ Tim Etchells 1999
We devised many exercises and watched William‘s behaviour and movements. How he reacted to different tone of voice. Did he respond differently dependent on gender? If you ran? Stayed still? Made noises? Had treats? Used a firm voice? Ignored? Walked in a group? Stood in a clump? Made noise as you walked?
―Our dogs will love and admire the
meanest of us, and feed our colossal vanity with their uncritical homage.‖ Agnes Repplier (date unknown)
I worked at Battersea Dogs home for a number of years, so this session was really insightful for me. I have trained and rehomed numerous dogs, all with very different temperaments, abilities and health. I have always had a love for canines and I feel I have a good understanding of them. We learnt about submission and dominance and the pecking order. When training dogs, it is important to let them know who is boss, however there is absolutely no need whatsoever for a heavy hand. All the teaching is in focussed instruction and vocal tone. It was totally different for me to witness a dog in a performance sense. Animals and the language of animals are both a great passion and fascination of mine.
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―The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.‖
One exercise, in particular, I enjoyed was placing a dog treat on a white cross. William would be told to ‗stay‘. The person who placed the treat on the floor would begin walking away, repeating ‘stay‘. William would stay, transfixed. It was interesting to observe this. As it was both instinct and training. Instinct was telling him to eat the treat, From his training he knows he must wait. The same applies when we are performing; we know what our instincts are, For instance when we make a mistake we will laugh, cry or run away, but our training will keep us focussed and in the moment and ―If we make a mistake we must fake it .‖ (Misha Miers. 2011)
-Samuel Butler (date unknown )
William‘s stance and body language was incredible as he waited patiently for his treat. Every muscle in his body was tense, as an observer you could sense the urgency and his longing to move, his desperation. He knew he had to keep still. It was interesting to note that the first couple of times he would only look at the treat. As he got used to this exercise, he knew what was going to happen. He stopped watching the treat and looked at whoever was giving him instructions until they allowed him to move. This again has similarities to a performer. At first when you perform or rehearse a routine it can be nerve racking or difficult, but with practise, time and continuous repetition, you are confident and it becomes second nature.
This was an Abramovic exercise. where you let off a shout or scream, as loud as you possibly can. We did this as a group outside. It is amazing for relieving tension and stress. William stayed inside while we shouted through the window. He was inquisitive but unfazed by our behaviour.
I am hoping I can get a dog of my own to train in the next year, it has been my plan for years. But is obviously something you have to be sure about. At this time in my life, I feel ready. This workshop has been an eye opener for me and I am now also interested in looking at the dog as a performer.
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The Hour We Knew Nothing... Peter Handke is an avant-garde novelist and playwright. In a session, we read through his script ‘The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other.‘ It is a silent, wordless play with limitless characters. It is the hustle and bustle of everyday life. There is also references to death. I wonder whether Handke sees the people and the aimless and nonsensical activities they perform or if he is in fact hallucinating. It was hard to comprehend that throughout the entire script from beginning to the end nothing happens, well nothing of great significance. There is no plot as such, and no characters you get to know. Imagine you could document, with impossible speed, everything person you see and hear in a busy city. Each one has their activity meticulously registered and logged.
Emmanuel Enchanted 1993
It is somewhat absurd and meaningless but there are some wonderful images that leap in to your mind. However no sooner you have an image, it evaporates and reforms the next character. It is confusing and frustrating as you want to remember but you simply cannot. Half way through reading I felt I might have dreamt half the characters. There is some repetition in this play, which gave me a little grounding.
I have not seen this production in the theatre. but have observed parts on the internet but I do not feel justice was given and if anything I was bored. I enjoyed reading the script more than watching. I would like to try to recreate this production as it would be an immense challenge. We talked in length how we would make it work. We picked the parts and characters we wanted to take on. It will be interesting to see how and if we can do this script justice. Also to make it enjoyable for ourselves as performers and the audience as the observers.
Kneehigh often don‘t have a back stage all the costume changes are in the wings. The audience does not miss anything.
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The Spaces In-between ―Nothing will any longer resemble what was, my memories will betray me, oblivion will infiltrate my memory.‖ ―what happens when nothing happens other than the weather people and cloud‖ Georges Perec 1974
In another session we read ‗An Attempt at Exhausting Paris‘ by Georges Perec. I adored the title before we began reading., an image of attempting to exhaust Paris and failing. How would one debilitate Paris? Or is it that Paris itself is enervating? Perhaps Perec himself is tired from observing the everyday actions on the streets. Mid reading I am mentally fatigued. I found I remembered occurrences and characters with much more clarity than in Handkes work. The Hour we Knew Nothing of Each Other‘ is reminiscent of ‘An Attempt at Exhausting Paris‘ in the fact it shows the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Essentially though, it is an assembly of stage directions in which characters are described by their attire, their gesticulations and activities. In my opinion ‘An Attempt at Exhausting Paris‘ is more descriptive and created an abundance of beautiful imagery in my mind. Although it too was exhausting to read (as the title suggests) it still captivated me. I found myself transported into an unusual and somewhat eccentric world. As a reader, Perec‘s work is more preferable to me as I felt more stability when reading, as he sat and observed through the window for three days it was habitual and familiar. It was intimate, like you were sitting with him and making notes or that you had an invitation inside his mind for the three days; whereas with Handke‘s writing I felt displaced. I was therefore often lost and bewildered. I felt discombobulated and frequently irritated by lacking the ability to memorise four hundred and fifty characters.
Georges Perec (1936-1982) was just forty-six when he died. A novelist, poet and film maker who also wrote crosswords, palindromes, anagrams. He had a deep love for wordplay and numbers and made the longest palindrome ever written. It is made up of five thousand words. He had a difficult childhood. His Dad died in world war two and his mother died in Auschwitz. He lost them both when he was young and his memories were not real memories, he was eager to fill the void. He became obsessed with space and documenting everything so he would not forget. ―This void that should have been
inhabited by memory caused me to interrogate space. My spaces are fragile and fear time will wear them away.‖ In every picture I have seen he looks so friendly and approachable, with a subtle cheeky smile and kind, slightly manic eyes.
―I would like there to exist places that are stable, unmoving...places that might be points of reference, of departure, of origin.‖ Georges Perec(1974)
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‘An Attempt at Exhausting Paris‘, a weekend
in 1974. Perec spent three days in a café recording everything he saw. Buses, cars, people, marches, weddings and funerals. It is the bustle of everyday life. The night draws in and everything looks different. The imagery is sometimes lugubrious and doleful. Full of foggy uncertainties and anticipation. Equally there are chimerical, heartfelt moments and random acts of kindness which warm you. It is a mix of sensations and the text is elucidatory. The manner in which he depicts takes you on a dreamlike journey in Paris.
A list I made whist reading. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder . Lonely person. A holiday in France. Beginnings of Alzheimer's disease. Regression. Vivid imagery. Colours and scent. Body movements. Waiting for something to happen. It doesn‘t. Sit down and shut eyes. A disturbed ants nest. Repetition. Bus numbers. Comforting. Pigeons, dogs, animal lover? Funerals and Hurst's. Time ticking. Importance. Miniscule. Blind man. Painting pictures. Eighty three, seventy six. Darkness. Faceless. Grey. Alone. Discombobulated.
I wonder if he was lonely while writing, like an outsider looking in and watching all the people together. They are busy with their lives and oblivious to the lone man documenting their every move in the café. The repetition weaving in and out of the writing means you constantly reminded of people or objects from previous pages. For instance bus numbers, dogs and taxis. There is a cacophony of sounds. The buzz and the babble of voices and the tapping of hurried footsteps. The caterwauling of brakes and the beeping of horns. As the night-time draws in there is an unearthly and disconcerting atmosphere. The blackness envelopes everything in its path and faces become hidden under a dark blanket. The night brings uncertainty and contingency. Throughout the writing there is a constant rhythm, ticking like a clock. You are waiting and waiting for something to happen. It doesn‘t. It is so true to our lives, we are always in anticipation that something will happen, change or materialize but we never know what that ‗something‘ is we are just intent on wishing our lives away. All believing what we are doing is incredibly important when really we are just drops in the ocean, As insignificant and minuscule as a dust particle n an infinite universe.
―To try meticulously to retain something, to cause something to survive...to leave somewhere a furrow, a trace, a mark or a few signs.‖ ―Space, is a doubt: I have constantly to mark it, designate it. It‘s never mine, never given to me, I have to conquer it.‖ Georges Perec (1974)
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you must try harder. Face your fears. push further. Be uncomfortable. Try not to care.
new things.
Fear Fear Fear
I am stronger and I believe this to be the help of Abramovic‘s work. Her advice fills my head ―the
inside your head, to change your perspective and prepare you as a performance artist in every way possible.
Fear
Fear
As they leave they will have changed.
perhaps
only
slightly
the
Something will have altered.
fear
It is a remarkable feeling when your performance is over and you felt the audience was with you, not just sitting watching, but really with you, united, sharing an experience.
Fear
Face
She teaches endurance and perseverance. Lessons in how to be comfortable in your own skin and know yourself inside out. When you are met with the audience you give yourself to them and they in return will give their time, focus and appreciation to you.
Fear
change.
audience is like a dog, they can feel you are afraid/ insecure and not in the right state of mind and they will leave.‖ She has an amazing ability to get
Fear
Welcome
Insights have been gained into the body and mind. Practising Ashtanga yoga helped me see what my body is capable of, how it bends and moves but most notably taught to feel the connection of the voice, emotion, body and mind, so they become one. It helps to stay calm and be more methodical. In performance and every day life.
When you feel you cannot do something,
try
This is not the end, or a least I hope not. This is the beginning of new and colourful projects. A point of reflection, of observations and completion. I am bubbling with ideas and in the process of clarifying issues within myself, thus becoming more coherent to the needs of my body and mind. Rational and reasoned thoughts are becoming consistent. I am more aware of myself as a performer and that nothing is out of bounds. I recognise what makes me tick and where my obsessions lie.
Always
This Is Not The End
Something will stay with them forever.
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Note to Self and to You Focus on not letting yourself get the better of you You are the only one who holds yourself back. Practise in meditation and Ashtanga yoga. Embrace who you are. Do not be afraid of what people think and express yourself freely. Let go. Don‘t be embarrassed. Be more confident with movement and physicality. Focus on strengths. Use your weaknesses. Do not panic about problems. Get up and DO. Spend more time in silence. Notice space. Fill the voids. Write a thank you note every day. Document your dreams. Smile wherever possible. Play with, and observe a dog. Do something that frightens you. Leave a note of encouragement for someone to find. ‗People watch‘ - write down what you see. Bring out the best in someone. Dance in the rain. If you hit a wall, hit it again until it falls down. Express emotion in five different ways. Focus on now. Not later or before. Cry with happiness. Don‘t wish time away, we haven‘t got long………
B
Remember the child within you
r
e
a
t
h
e
FIN
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Bibliography
Websites
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