Wednesday 8th February – Proposal for performance
We plan for our performance to take the shape of a map which will be hand drawn onto a whiteboard and wheeled up and down the high street. On top of this map will be two layers of acetate each containing writing in different colours creating a literal palimpsest as well as a metaphorical one. The metaphorical palimpsest is the layering of people’s thoughts and emotions of Lincoln to portray the multi-dimensional community which Lincoln is made up of. The three layers of the map will be:
- A literal map of Lincoln, intended as a base for the other layers to go on top of but also clearly indicating that Lincoln is at the heart of this piece.
- Thoughts and feelings of the people of Lincoln from social media (representative of the younger generation of Lincoln). We intend to create this database of information by creating our own Facebook and twitter pages encouraging people to share their stories, experiences and memories of Lincoln. We are also going to frequently check snap chat and Yik Yak for people’s reactions and rants which we will record.
- On the day of the performance we are going to stop people in the street and ask them to write/draw key words or pictures of how they view Lincoln, perhaps asking a specific question to provoke ideas from the public.
We are currently playing with the idea of metting residents of Lincoln (residents home/schools if possible) and recording some of the stories which the people of Lincoln have. We would then play these stories whilst walking up and down the high street with our whiteboard creating a multi-sensory experience for the participants/observers.
Our work reacts to the statement made by Jean Harvie that ‘site specific performance can be especially powerful as a vehicle for remembering and forming a community. Our piece actively involves participation from the audience and evokes memories and emotions about the site (Lincoln). I look forward to putting this idea into practice over the next few weeks and seeing how the idea can evolve and grow into a successful piece of Site Specific performance.
Joe Turner