GROUP PIECE -
On Wednesday 18th we performed our piece 3 times to audiences of 40. In each performance i think our group piece went really well and we had all taken on board the notes we had been given and applied them to our performance. For example, the 'fire' section as a class i feel we were able to connect with more in the piece as before we had mainly been going for a literal representation rather than something more abstract or creative. One thing i found hard in the performance was finding my partner in the metal section as we were all now in black and unable to distinguish who everyone was meaning it took me longer than usual to find her. Another thing i think we could have improved on in the shows was our distribution as an enable, as right at the start when we form the two lines we always ended up with more on one side than the other meaning that the grid didn't flow as well.
As an enable i think we worked really well together and there was a clear progression from the start of term to now. I personally feel like i was much more connected in the piece's to how i had been at the start as i was now fully committed and working with others who also were. Backstage we all helped to make sure everyone knew what they were doing and had their piece of cloth. Also on stage if something didn't happen or went wrong we were able to deal with it as a group and progress through our piece.
TRIO-
I was really happy with the performance of our trio and the reaction we got out of it. The trio was something that we hadn't rehearsed fully as we couldn't until the day when we actually ate the food, so it was something i was somewhat unsure about. However, once we were in the pool we were able to use ideas that we had had and apply them now we had the food. For example, bathing in the food and fully immersing ourselves in it. As well as this other things came naturally, like feeding one another and covering ourselves in food. Our piece was also different each time, and i feel the 3rd show was our best as we were used to the feeling and also already covered in food so it added to the overall aesthetics of the piece.
To have improved i would of liked to have include more set moments so as a trio we knew more where the piece was leading and were able to keep the audience engaged longer. I also would have liked to work on our physicality in the pool and where we were each sat as on the middle show our staging didn't work as well as on the 1st and 3rd and this is something we could have prevented.
Friday, 20 February 2015
Sunday, 15 February 2015
Artist research
Subdoh Gupta 1964
Born and works in India.
- Creates sculpture, Installation, painting & photography.
-Incorporates everyday objects into his work, primarily cooking utensils.
- Stainless steel & bronze materials.
I find his works really captivating to look at, the vast nature of them, i feel, really draws you in. The sculptures also allow you to fully create your own meaning. When i saw 'everyday' i took a completely different meaning from it than the initial idea of the artist and saw it as a representation of a cluttered mind rather than questioning world hunger. From seeing some of his other works i think our trio responds to all of them in a way, as they are all of a similar nature and i think we have captured Subdoh Gupta's message.
Born and works in India.
- Creates sculpture, Installation, painting & photography.
-Incorporates everyday objects into his work, primarily cooking utensils.
- Stainless steel & bronze materials.
I find his works really captivating to look at, the vast nature of them, i feel, really draws you in. The sculptures also allow you to fully create your own meaning. When i saw 'everyday' i took a completely different meaning from it than the initial idea of the artist and saw it as a representation of a cluttered mind rather than questioning world hunger. From seeing some of his other works i think our trio responds to all of them in a way, as they are all of a similar nature and i think we have captured Subdoh Gupta's message.
Class piece, week 6.
This week to develop our group piece we explored using spontaneous writing to create text that was in response to the piece 'The Lovers'. We then took someones response in our pairs and chose sections to incorporate into our piece.
Me and Maria chose this :
But love is not close, hate and pain come with it.
To love we must accept that we are human in every form that takes.
The earth spins round and no one notices.
The days go by and we forget what exists.
The lovers to not take this into consideration.
They become elusive and we take this as a privilege.
It will always be there until its not and the earth will spin round until it catches up with us.
I found working with this text really useful and it gave us stimulus to create our duet around, i also think that the initial task was useful in us looking at how much meaning we can take from something that essentially doesn't have any meaning and allowed me to understand how that can work for our own piece as well. I think putting these together as a class really worked and created a kind of soundscape of text and responses to the painting. I especially liked Daniels and Lauren's as theirs was a very literal response and by ending on that it conveys to the audience that this is just a painting and their doesn't have to be any 'meaning' behind it. To improve i think we all need to work on refining our physical movement, for example for me and maria we need to work on making it all flow and be cleaner. As well as this learning the text for our pieces will also make them cleaner as we will be confident in what we are saying and not have to focus on it as much.
We also worked on the 'lava' transition that gets us from the ensemble piece to our text duets. I think this section is something i need to work on and be more bold in my choices to make the section more interesting for the audience to watch and engage with. I think this is something me and maria can develop in rehearsal and we just need to not overthink the transition.
Me and Maria chose this :
But love is not close, hate and pain come with it.
To love we must accept that we are human in every form that takes.
The earth spins round and no one notices.
The days go by and we forget what exists.
The lovers to not take this into consideration.
They become elusive and we take this as a privilege.
It will always be there until its not and the earth will spin round until it catches up with us.
I found working with this text really useful and it gave us stimulus to create our duet around, i also think that the initial task was useful in us looking at how much meaning we can take from something that essentially doesn't have any meaning and allowed me to understand how that can work for our own piece as well. I think putting these together as a class really worked and created a kind of soundscape of text and responses to the painting. I especially liked Daniels and Lauren's as theirs was a very literal response and by ending on that it conveys to the audience that this is just a painting and their doesn't have to be any 'meaning' behind it. To improve i think we all need to work on refining our physical movement, for example for me and maria we need to work on making it all flow and be cleaner. As well as this learning the text for our pieces will also make them cleaner as we will be confident in what we are saying and not have to focus on it as much.
We also worked on the 'lava' transition that gets us from the ensemble piece to our text duets. I think this section is something i need to work on and be more bold in my choices to make the section more interesting for the audience to watch and engage with. I think this is something me and maria can develop in rehearsal and we just need to not overthink the transition.
Week 6
Whole year Piece
"Questions of the Cabinet"
To begin in creating our group piece we worked as individuals exploring our own bodies and weight, we then built on this by working with a partner and exploring how we can respond to their body and how they move. Starting like this was helpful in putting me in the right frame of mind, it allowed me to remove the distractions around me and instead start thinking about the physical qualities of myself and this other person. We then progressed this further by involving questions, for example 'what was the last thing that made you laugh?', involving questions like this meant that we had to allow our bodies to respond naturally and allow them to discover. This is something that took everyone some time, at first i feel like i was definitely thinking too much about it and as we progressed i was able to relax more and not overthink.
We then began working as a whole class, responding to questions that were presented to us. This exercise required a balanced effort and enthusiasm from everyone. It was important to be aware of who was around you in order to not hurt anyone as well as to be able to respond to their bodies. Personally i found this section really worked as an ensemble after we all got into it, and i felt the responses people were giving were honest meaning that we could all work together effortlessly. However, i feel when we asked individual members of the class to give their own verbal answers to questions the work didn't flow as the answers weren't entirely honest. Therefore i think for the piece to work the answers we give as a group have to be truthful as for the rest of the ensemble to respond they have to be able to connect with the original response.
Finally we worked on having a member of the ensemble respond to the question physical before the entire ensemble gradually joined in and responded to their response. This i feel worked really well and i was able to watch the initial person make their own discoveries before joining in with them. for this section to work the ensemble have to give themselves and the person giving the initial response time to discover and make their response alive as if we rush it the work doesn't flow and becomes unnatural. As an ensemble we also have to work on not always forming a 'clump' in the centre of the piece as this restricts the work and ability to discover, instead we want to fill the entire space and form individual responses within it.
I really enjoyed working on this section and i feel it creates a captivating piece for the audience, as well as this i found it really helped us to all develop as an enable and work with people we wouldn't usually as when you are in it you don't notice who it is that is around you and instead just their physicality and what they are doing that you can respond to. I feel to develop further we need to work on giving ourselves even more time to 'discover' as this will make our work flow even better and also allow us to create work we are happier with.
"Questions of the Cabinet"
To begin in creating our group piece we worked as individuals exploring our own bodies and weight, we then built on this by working with a partner and exploring how we can respond to their body and how they move. Starting like this was helpful in putting me in the right frame of mind, it allowed me to remove the distractions around me and instead start thinking about the physical qualities of myself and this other person. We then progressed this further by involving questions, for example 'what was the last thing that made you laugh?', involving questions like this meant that we had to allow our bodies to respond naturally and allow them to discover. This is something that took everyone some time, at first i feel like i was definitely thinking too much about it and as we progressed i was able to relax more and not overthink.
We then began working as a whole class, responding to questions that were presented to us. This exercise required a balanced effort and enthusiasm from everyone. It was important to be aware of who was around you in order to not hurt anyone as well as to be able to respond to their bodies. Personally i found this section really worked as an ensemble after we all got into it, and i felt the responses people were giving were honest meaning that we could all work together effortlessly. However, i feel when we asked individual members of the class to give their own verbal answers to questions the work didn't flow as the answers weren't entirely honest. Therefore i think for the piece to work the answers we give as a group have to be truthful as for the rest of the ensemble to respond they have to be able to connect with the original response.
Finally we worked on having a member of the ensemble respond to the question physical before the entire ensemble gradually joined in and responded to their response. This i feel worked really well and i was able to watch the initial person make their own discoveries before joining in with them. for this section to work the ensemble have to give themselves and the person giving the initial response time to discover and make their response alive as if we rush it the work doesn't flow and becomes unnatural. As an ensemble we also have to work on not always forming a 'clump' in the centre of the piece as this restricts the work and ability to discover, instead we want to fill the entire space and form individual responses within it.
I really enjoyed working on this section and i feel it creates a captivating piece for the audience, as well as this i found it really helped us to all develop as an enable and work with people we wouldn't usually as when you are in it you don't notice who it is that is around you and instead just their physicality and what they are doing that you can respond to. I feel to develop further we need to work on giving ourselves even more time to 'discover' as this will make our work flow even better and also allow us to create work we are happier with.
Monday, 9 February 2015
ARTAUD
- French Theatre Director (1898-1948)
-He created authentic and original work in post- war European theatre, his work was unlike anything else around at that time.
-He suffered from meningitis aged 4, leaving him with long term illness' and mental health issues.
-These mental health issues caused him to spend a large part of his life in mental asylums.
-He worked as an actor, director and theorist. Many of his ideas were never explored or performed.
-He didn't write particular techniques or methods down meaning we don't know what he used to create his works.
-Created 'Theatre of cruelty', wanting to challenge an audience, make them feel uncomfortable and scared so you can take it away from them to cause them to feel relief. He didn't want theatre to remain as just being about language and instead wanted to introduce other art forms into it, like music and special effects.
-Created a new type of theatre that would disturb an audience and provoke their thinking.
Saturday, 7 February 2015
Week 5
This week we worked on creating our whole class section. We began by looking at the work of Laben and taking his 'structure' to apply to our own piece by creating our own categories that we could mix together. I find using these techniques really helpful when devising as it gives you an opportunity to create physicality's and movements that you otherwise never would have. For example we looked at 'Lava' and 'Metal' as physical properties and explored how we could create these as both an ensemble and as a solo. One quality i felt worked really well when we performed it as an ensemble was 'twitch' as it resembled the work we had done on the plastic bag the previous week which meant we were able to incorporate those movements we had previously worked on.
We also looked at working with our cloths in partners, creating a short duet that showed our masks being removed. I worked with Maria and we looked at showing the cloth as a sort of 'restraint', To do this we used the cloth to bind our hands and feet. To create our piece we started by just improving with the cloths and then from that we took out key moments that we liked. I Feel we were able to convey some different ideas of how we could use the cloths as a 'representation' of something. One duet I liked was Ben and Ellas, I think their use of extending the cloth above them and using it to help them perform lifts was really visually pleasing and allowed moments to be constantly covered and unveiled.
In class we also worked on an opening grid section. I think, visually, this is one of the most interesting moments we created as the varying pace of everyone in the class gives it a textured and engaging effect on the audience. With this section however i think it is key we are all really strict on our grids and have to be aware constantly of the space around us, as i found when i was walking at a fast pace it was hard not to walk into people.
Moving forward as an ensemble i think we all need to work on what we feel 'working as an ensemble' means and being able to work as a whole without all grouping together and looking at one another as this is something we kept falling into during rehearsals.
We also looked at working with our cloths in partners, creating a short duet that showed our masks being removed. I worked with Maria and we looked at showing the cloth as a sort of 'restraint', To do this we used the cloth to bind our hands and feet. To create our piece we started by just improving with the cloths and then from that we took out key moments that we liked. I Feel we were able to convey some different ideas of how we could use the cloths as a 'representation' of something. One duet I liked was Ben and Ellas, I think their use of extending the cloth above them and using it to help them perform lifts was really visually pleasing and allowed moments to be constantly covered and unveiled.
In class we also worked on an opening grid section. I think, visually, this is one of the most interesting moments we created as the varying pace of everyone in the class gives it a textured and engaging effect on the audience. With this section however i think it is key we are all really strict on our grids and have to be aware constantly of the space around us, as i found when i was walking at a fast pace it was hard not to walk into people.
Moving forward as an ensemble i think we all need to work on what we feel 'working as an ensemble' means and being able to work as a whole without all grouping together and looking at one another as this is something we kept falling into during rehearsals.
Saturday, 31 January 2015
week 4
We started this week by working on our Trio Performance, For our piece we decided to perform our piece on the floor instead of at a table and have our bodies interlinked and twisted as we felt this would add to the animalistic side of our piece as well as making it look even more disgusting and highlighting the greed of the people. We also decided to eat the food in slow motion making our movements long and twisted. Again we did this as we felt it made the piece even more surreal for the audience to watch and the exaggerated movements of us eating were even more disgusting to watch. One of the pieces of feedback we got was that the piece could be performed in a paddling pool, we have taken this on board and have decided that we are going to fill the pool with food and have us within it, this is practical for the space we are working in as well as more visually dynamic for the audience to watch.
When watching the pieces one I liked was Ursulas Group. Theirs explored the theme of cannibalism and I think their facial expressions and movements made the piece really engaging and made them look almost dehumanised, communicating their message further. To improve i think they could push their physical actions even further to communicate their message and make them even more twisted and possibly salacious.
This week we also began work on our whole class piece. To do this we did exercises such as 'yes lets'. This was useful to me as it allowed us to work as an ensemble and modify our ways of performing individually so we could work as a whole. It also tested our ability to respond quickly and to improvise. We also looked at creating work from observing objects, for example a plastic band. I found this really interesting as the movement gave us an immediate stimulus to work from, it also meant that we moved our bodies and came up with ideas that we wouldn't normally. As a class we all created very similar pieces that showed the plastic bag that all involved suspension in a way we couldn't create through having planned it.
For our piece we are taking stimulus from Rene Magritte's works, for example 'The Lovers'
When watching the pieces one I liked was Ursulas Group. Theirs explored the theme of cannibalism and I think their facial expressions and movements made the piece really engaging and made them look almost dehumanised, communicating their message further. To improve i think they could push their physical actions even further to communicate their message and make them even more twisted and possibly salacious.
This week we also began work on our whole class piece. To do this we did exercises such as 'yes lets'. This was useful to me as it allowed us to work as an ensemble and modify our ways of performing individually so we could work as a whole. It also tested our ability to respond quickly and to improvise. We also looked at creating work from observing objects, for example a plastic band. I found this really interesting as the movement gave us an immediate stimulus to work from, it also meant that we moved our bodies and came up with ideas that we wouldn't normally. As a class we all created very similar pieces that showed the plastic bag that all involved suspension in a way we couldn't create through having planned it.
For our piece we are taking stimulus from Rene Magritte's works, for example 'The Lovers'
I think having our faces covered on stage will look really effective and dynamic, and by combining it with us all moving as a whole it dehumanises us as an ensemble, meaning if we were to create work from objects we represent them even further. The message of this painting in the cloths having no meaning also goes with what we have been talking about this term and how an audience 'make meaning' for example, when we all looked at this painting we immediately assumed there was a reason behind the covered faces.
Saturday, 24 January 2015
Devising
We also looked at devising groups to create an experimental piece. having done this previous exercise helped me when choosing an image to work from as i looked at images from two different perspectives.
Our stimulus :
We chose this sculpture as we wanted to explore the themes of greed and gluttony. The sculpture explores the idea ' In this country how many people have the utensils, but starve because there is no food?' We wanted to take this question and highlight the divide between people with and without food. Our idea for our piece is very simplistic in just having 3 people sat at a table surrounded with fast food, sweets, chocolate etc. to show the animalistic nature of humans and greed we want to have the 3 people stuffing their faces with all this food, almost forcing it down their throughts. We think showing people eating in such a disgusting way will represent the ugliness of greed. this piece is also easy to do for a long time and we wouldn't have to reset anything, instead just have enough food to continue.
Research :
25-34 year olds on adverage sre spending £2,626.92 a year on fast food.
Mcdonalds meals sold each year in Uk : 1.05bn
£1m is spent everyday on Dominos Take away
I think this images captures the main idea of our peice and shows our interpretation on the origional sculpture. The dependency we now have on these food chains, and the lack of understanding we hold to the ever growing food crisis in the rest of the world.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
TATE.
LOUISE BOURGEOIS (1911-2010)
BORN FRANCE, WORKED USA
PIECES:
Ode a Ma Mere 1995
My inner life 2008
The stretch 2006
What is the shape of this problem? 1999
MATERIALS:
Etching on paper
Letterpress on paper
I found myself drawn to Bourgeois work, The abstract pieces provided me with an ability to take my own meaning from each and understand them all differently. I loved the simplicity that came with the lack of colour and I feel pieces such as 'my inner life' fascinating in their approach to such a large topic.
Theatrically I think her work would allow me to create a piece that explores the human mind and its complexity. I also would love to take the twisted way she draws and use this to affect my physicality and nature.
SCULPTURE
ARTISTS:
Terence Koh - untitled (a new world order lies in a golden age)
Rachel Harrison - XLT Footbed
Subodh Gupta - Everyday 2009
MATERIALS:
Glass, wood, bronze, gold leaf, resin.
Wood, polystyrene, cardboard, cement, acrylic paint.
Stainless steal, marble base.
These three sculptures were all in the same room in the gallery, They all captured my attention and made me question their meaning. The sculpture Was the one that left me the most confused, i was mainly drawn to it because of its structure and I thought this would be an interesting shape to take into a devising process. I also thought it seemed similar to a 'cabinet of curiosities' and i therefore thought it may work in our piece.
With the next piece I liked the idea of having the cord Incorporated within the sculpture and it made me question why is art restricted? this idea of being behind a barrier is something i think we would take forward in devising a section and not being allowed to let what you're trying to express out.
The last sculpture stood out to me as it wasn't something I could understand when looking at it. The actual themes it is exploring was really cleaverly presented I think and the material created a cold surrounding to the topic.
Saturday, 10 January 2015
'The Spurt of Blood'
http://spurtofblood.com
In class we looked at the play by Artaud 'The spurt of blood'. I think the piece is fascinating in the way he describes this abstract world surrounding the characters. The 'stage directions' are more like in depth description of events and images.
In a group we worked on staging this section of the script :
In class we looked at the play by Artaud 'The spurt of blood'. I think the piece is fascinating in the way he describes this abstract world surrounding the characters. The 'stage directions' are more like in depth description of events and images.
In a group we worked on staging this section of the script :
- [At this moment night suddenly falls on stage. The earth quakes. There is furious thunder and zig-zags of lightning in every direction through the zig-zags all the characters can be seen running around bumping into each other and falling then getting up and running about like crazy. Then an enormous hand seizes the Bawd by her hair, which bursts into flame and grows huge before our eyes]
week 1 - 6th Jan
Alphabet box - allows you to create a movement using a structured format.
This exercise tested our focus, memory and ability to create a sequence. I found the exercise useful as it showed how easily we can create a set of movements that flow together, as well as this changing the tempo whilst working on it not only tied into what we had been working on in our warm up but also showed how important pace is. For example, performing the section slower made me think further about how each part of my body was moving and what quality my movement had. Contrasting to this the fast pace made my movements seem much more desperate and the qualities were much lighter.
The use of music when performing the work, I think, was a much larger influence on the audiences take on the piece than on the performers actions. For example, the slow song played with group 2 created a much more meaningful and sad atmosphere within what the audience were watching. However, for me as a performer I didn't seem to register the music when I was performing and was more focused on where my next letter was. I think this suggests that audiences almost look for a meaning when watching a piece and we could see in the class that people had formed stories and characters whilst they were watching.
'How do we make meaning?'
As theatre makers I don't think we can 'make meaning' I think the meaning to a piece is either always there or non existent and left open to the audience. An exercise like this emphasises to me how theatre can come from anything and doesn't have to be made with a clear intention of 'making meaning'. Furthermore I believe this exercise showed how a meaning can be different to each person in the audience and how little influence a performer can have over what the audience take from a piece.
'Does a piece of theatre have to have a meaning in order to be effective?'
No, theatre allows complete freedom to both an actor and an audience, their are no rules that suggest what should and shouldn't be done/said. Therefore I believe that meaning doesn't make a piece successful instead the experience and journey an audience and performer go on is what does. Abstract work that is left open to interpretation can be just as effective as a play that portrays a 'meaning' in the way that it still gives the audience something to think about or question.
This exercise tested our focus, memory and ability to create a sequence. I found the exercise useful as it showed how easily we can create a set of movements that flow together, as well as this changing the tempo whilst working on it not only tied into what we had been working on in our warm up but also showed how important pace is. For example, performing the section slower made me think further about how each part of my body was moving and what quality my movement had. Contrasting to this the fast pace made my movements seem much more desperate and the qualities were much lighter.
The use of music when performing the work, I think, was a much larger influence on the audiences take on the piece than on the performers actions. For example, the slow song played with group 2 created a much more meaningful and sad atmosphere within what the audience were watching. However, for me as a performer I didn't seem to register the music when I was performing and was more focused on where my next letter was. I think this suggests that audiences almost look for a meaning when watching a piece and we could see in the class that people had formed stories and characters whilst they were watching.
'How do we make meaning?'
As theatre makers I don't think we can 'make meaning' I think the meaning to a piece is either always there or non existent and left open to the audience. An exercise like this emphasises to me how theatre can come from anything and doesn't have to be made with a clear intention of 'making meaning'. Furthermore I believe this exercise showed how a meaning can be different to each person in the audience and how little influence a performer can have over what the audience take from a piece.
'Does a piece of theatre have to have a meaning in order to be effective?'
No, theatre allows complete freedom to both an actor and an audience, their are no rules that suggest what should and shouldn't be done/said. Therefore I believe that meaning doesn't make a piece successful instead the experience and journey an audience and performer go on is what does. Abstract work that is left open to interpretation can be just as effective as a play that portrays a 'meaning' in the way that it still gives the audience something to think about or question.
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