Author: Rayanne Brackenbury

• During the reading week (22^nd – 26^th February) I did some research on the site specific subject.
• The notes from the beginning of this blog are based on a document I found from a book names “Making a Performance” written by an actress, Katie Normington, and two others name Emma Govern, Helen Nicholson.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

• SCHECKNER – Environmental theatre works through creating a living in styled performance.
• A style of performance based on the natural state of everyday life whilst having an alternative meaning.
• Polish Director – GROTOWISKI – Created living environments through witnesses.
• GROTOWISKI – “Dr.Faustus” – His perception of the table scene, his audience members were seated within the scene, around the table.
• This is an example of how his audience would witness his workings. They would live that specific moment of his performance with his actors. They would be just as involved within the making of the scene just without dialogue. Mute characters.
• GROTOWISKI’S style of environmental theatre gives the witness’s a sense of community. If not because they are being involved within a situation with others both actors and the other witnesses. But the community created for the witnesses alone because they are all just as on edge and apprehensive as each other. This gives them a sense of security that they aren’t alone.
• The reading itself refers to this ‘community’ as similar to the spectators in a religious situations – VICERS vs WORSHIPERS. – Due to the living moment that is lived by all within that situation.
• TRADITIONAL THEATRE IS AS FOLLOWS:
• ON STAGE – INSIDE –the living moment
• AUDIENCE – OUTSIDE – only spectators to the event.

 

• Within Living Environment Theatre the boundaries set in place by traditional staged performances are completely banished. The audience are invited in to closely witness the ‘living happenings’.
• LIVING SPACES – A techniques used frequently within the workings of a theatre company called ‘RECKLESS SLEEPERS’
• RECKLESS SLEEPERS group was founded in Nottingham in 1989. Their works are a combination of all the following:
• DURATION PIECES – On going performances that are detailed/repetitive.
• SOUND INSTILATIONS – Performances based on the sense of smell to create an outcome.
• EXBIDITIONS – Travelling performances that include more techniques such as activities to engage the audiences to focus and think about the topic of the entire piece.
• OUT DOOR PERFROMANCE – Performance that involve all of the above but outdoors.
• One of their very famous pieces was when the group were commission to create a piece of living theatre based on ‘The Last Supper’.
• The groups research Brief was to elaborate the phrase ‘Eating your words’
• To gather information and practical evidence the group took to the streets and read text from pieces of paper. Once they had read the entire piece of text they would move onto the next after putting the previously read one into their mouth.
• They continued this process until they had no other room spare to talk their own words. This thought of having the words but not the voice gave the group a solid stimulus.
• They looked at convicts that had been sentence to either be executed or live a life on Death Row. The autobiography’s that were written but convicts were used by RECHLESS SLEEPRS, the exact words from the convict’s mouth and their case numbers, table number, and a number with no significance.
• The result performance was performed in GLASGOW at the Tramway Theatre, 2005. All 39 audience members were given an invitation to a dinner party at this location. Before they entered they all received a table number, an incident number and number.
• The audience were escorted to their specific seats. An actor dressed as a chef would appear and shout a number across the hall. That person with that number would be fed 1 dish from the three optional: CHOCOLATE CAKE, COTTAGE CHESE, and LIVER AND ONIONS.
• The dishes were specific to the performance due to these three items were the exact things that Death Row occupant Lennie White asked for as his last meal before his execution in 1997.
• LYN GARDNER- a Drama and English graduate from Kent university – Gave a review of this piece in which she mentioned that “it gave a voice to the voiceless” This being due to the actually words wrote or said by the convict before their death.
• She spoke of how the imaginary words spoken buy some of the actors would be relatable to that of those unfortunate souls who were murdered by the chemical explosion Hiroshima.
• These aspects of a performance, use of imagination, are created by many different techniques: A director’s encouragement of using non-performing throughout the research and rehearsal process.
• Also by the reportage and down playing of emotion within the piece, deliberately just reading the text from a written script.
• As well as emphasising the game playing from each actor, they also play up to the audience. They continuously refer to the audience as themselves: “I don’t know what to say this.”
• This leading to an all matter of questions:
• ARE THEY THEMSELVES?
• ARE THEY INVENTED PERSONA’S AT ALL?
• ARE THEY MOMENTARILY REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PEOPLES WHO’S WORDS THEY SPEAK?
• This performance was performed at the TRAMWAY THEATRE in GLASGOW, Scotland. This buildings history is as it sounds. It was a building created to be a tram shed on the edge of GLASGOW. This building was also used by PETER BROOKS when his performance of “MAHABHARATA” toured.
• The building itself is a quintessential industrial due to its –
• CONCRETE FLOORING
• EXPOSED BRICK WORK
• DUCTING- Air ventilation systems
• GIRDERS – Support beams for a structure.
• During the performance the tables themselves were cluttered with wine and food – this heightens the irony of the building due to the unhinged effect of the derelict building.
• The Last Supper performance it’s self-acted as a realisation for both the actors and the audience. That both fact and fiction can be equally unreliable as each other. That history’s stable entity is and can be banished.
• From this reading and research I gathered the knowledge that a site specific performance doesn’t need to have a solid link to the topic of the performance. It simply has to be mouldable to work with the topic.

• During the reading week (22^nd – 26^th February) I did some research on the site specific subject.
• The notes from the beginning of this blog are based on a document I found from a book names “Making a Performance” written by an actress, Katie Normington, and two others name Emma Govern, Helen Nicholson.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

• SCHECKNER – Environmental theatre works through creating a living in styled performance.
• A style of performance based on the natural state of everyday life whilst having an alternative meaning.
• Polish Director – GROTOWISKI – Created living environments through witnesses.
• GROTOWISKI – “Dr.Faustus” – His perception of the table scene, his audience members were seated within the scene, around the table.
• This is an example of how his audience would witness his workings. They would live that specific moment of his performance with his actors. They would be just as involved within the making of the scene just without dialogue. Mute characters.
• GROTOWISKI’S style of environmental theatre gives the witness’s a sense of community. If not because they are being involved within a situation with others both actors and the other witnesses. But the community created for the witnesses alone because they are all just as on edge and apprehensive as each other. This gives them a sense of security that they aren’t alone.
• The reading itself refers to this ‘community’ as similar to the spectators in a religious situations – VICERS vs WORSHIPERS. – Due to the living moment that is lived by all within that situation.
• TRADITIONAL THEATRE IS AS FOLLOWS:
• ON STAGE – INSIDE –the living moment
• AUDIENCE – OUTSIDE – only spectators to the event.

 

• Within Living Environment Theatre the boundaries set in place by traditional staged performances are completely banished. The audience are invited in to closely witness the ‘living happenings’.
• LIVING SPACES – A techniques used frequently within the workings of a theatre company called ‘RECKLESS SLEEPERS’
• RECKLESS SLEEPERS group was founded in Nottingham in 1989. Their works are a combination of all the following:
• DURATION PIECES – On going performances that are detailed/repetitive.
• SOUND INSTILATIONS – Performances based on the sense of smell to create an outcome.
• EXBIDITIONS – Travelling performances that include more techniques such as activities to engage the audiences to focus and think about the topic of the entire piece.
• OUT DOOR PERFROMANCE – Performance that involve all of the above but outdoors.
• One of their very famous pieces was when the group were commission to create a piece of living theatre based on ‘The Last Supper’.
• The groups research Brief was to elaborate the phrase ‘Eating your words’
• To gather information and practical evidence the group took to the streets and read text from pieces of paper. Once they had read the entire piece of text they would move onto the next after putting the previously read one into their mouth.
• They continued this process until they had no other room spare to talk their own words. This thought of having the words but not the voice gave the group a solid stimulus.
• They looked at convicts that had been sentence to either be executed or live a life on Death Row. The autobiography’s that were written but convicts were used by RECHLESS SLEEPRS, the exact words from the convict’s mouth and their case numbers, table number, and a number with no significance.
• The result performance was performed in GLASGOW at the Tramway Theatre, 2005. All 39 audience members were given an invitation to a dinner party at this location. Before they entered they all received a table number, an incident number and number.
• The audience were escorted to their specific seats. An actor dressed as a chef would appear and shout a number across the hall. That person with that number would be fed 1 dish from the three optional: CHOCOLATE CAKE, COTTAGE CHESE, and LIVER AND ONIONS.
• The dishes were specific to the performance due to these three items were the exact things that Death Row occupant Lennie White asked for as his last meal before his execution in 1997.
• LYN GARDNER- a Drama and English graduate from Kent university – Gave a review of this piece in which she mentioned that “it gave a voice to the voiceless” This being due to the actually words wrote or said by the convict before their death.
• She spoke of how the imaginary words spoken buy some of the actors would be relatable to that of those unfortunate souls who were murdered by the chemical explosion Hiroshima.
• These aspects of a performance, use of imagination, are created by many different techniques: A director’s encouragement of using non-performing throughout the research and rehearsal process.
• Also by the reportage and down playing of emotion within the piece, deliberately just reading the text from a written script.
• As well as emphasising the game playing from each actor, they also play up to the audience. They continuously refer to the audience as themselves: “I don’t know what to say this.”
• This leading to an all matter of questions:
• ARE THEY THEMSELVES?
• ARE THEY INVENTED PERSONA’S AT ALL?
• ARE THEY MOMENTARILY REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PEOPLES WHO’S WORDS THEY SPEAK?
• This performance was performed at the TRAMWAY THEATRE in GLASGOW, Scotland. This buildings history is as it sounds. It was a building created to be a tram shed on the edge of GLASGOW. This building was also used by PETER BROOKS when his performance of “MAHABHARATA” toured.
• The building itself is a quintessential industrial due to its –
• CONCRETE FLOORING
• EXPOSED BRICK WORK
• DUCTING- Air ventilation systems
• GIRDERS – Support beams for a structure.
• During the performance the tables themselves were cluttered with wine and food – this heightens the irony of the building due to the unhinged effect of the derelict building.
• The Last Supper performance it’s self-acted as a realisation for both the actors and the audience. That both fact and fiction can be equally unreliable as each other. That history’s stable entity is and can be banished.

• We discussed today the introduction to site specific performance written by Mike Pearson.
• This article spoke of how site specific style performance can also be presented as an Art form. (Which got me thinking again about my painting and creating idea.)
• This article also included Nick Kaye’s “Place of Documetation”
• Kaye’s article mentions MICHEAL FRIED.
• Michael Fried – 1968 Article – Art and Object Hood – Art critic/ Minimalistic Structure – How cities and buildings marry themselves to other places and buildings – ‘Following the book.
• Miwon Kwon – South Korean born – trained in architecture – MA in Photography – collections of work in the American Art Museum since 1990’s – Wrote articles on practitioners who work within her preferred styles of art, such as Richard Serra – Identity – Visual performance rather than body movement.
• Specifies in specific styles of art: Contemporary. Agricultural. Public Art. Urban Studies.
• Discussions on the differences between Live Art and Traditional Theatre
• LIVE THEATRE – More use of Audience Participation – No Boundaries/ Removal of the 4^th wall – Audience have more control over their individual experience, when they stop watching, how long they watch for, etc.
• TRADITIONAL THEATRE – Audience members have already consented to entering the theatre – Tacitly agreed to the expectation of the theatre and the stage – If it’s not enjoyable the audience member isn’t as free to walk out, at least until the interval – Not wanting to come across as being rude and becoming disrespectful of the social expectations as well as the theatres.
• EXPECTATIONS – Margret Thatcher’s Funeral – Expected behaviour/ respectful – Due to her previous contributes to the British populations, creating the divide of classes cause different distinctive emotions about Thatcher – Resulting in the expectation of emotion was divided by respectful and disrespectful.
• AUDIENCE TYPES – 1. REAL PEOPLE – People who were at the site of performance by chance – 2. INVITED AUDIENCE – People who have been invited to the site and performance – 3. TECHNOLOGICAL AUDIENCE – Audience members who have viewed the recorded evidence or live streams via technology: Blogs/ Vlogs etc.
• PLACES AND NON-PLACES – As a group we discussed what makes a place a place and vice versa and the boundaries that we thought were applied by MARK AUGE – We specifically discussed the high street due to that being our specific site – We came to conclusion that the view as a group that any non-place can be or become a place depending on each individual and their experiences. . EXAMPLE. – The Bollard – Who made that bollard, who designed the bollard, who put the bollard there?
• THERE IS A STORY FOR EVERYTHING, AND EVERYTHING HAS A PERPOSE
• DANIEL OLIVERS – performance based on audience participation using audience participation – WAVING STICKS – Where do the audience put themselves removing them completely from their comfort zones and allowing them to use their free imagination.
• ERVING GOFFMAN – Teams – Following a script for everyday life – not to upset any of the balances set in place – example of his theories – IF SOMEONE FALLS DON’T LAUGH JUST CONTINUNE WALKING. – Follows the convections of theatre, to follow the book.
• JOHN SMITH – 1976 – THE GIRL CHEWING GUM – People going about their everyday life whilst he voiced over them as if he was directing them – Stage directions – Following the script again – Making a performance from nothing.
• DEODRY HEDDON – Autobiographical – Based on personal or strangers anecdotes or experiences.
• MARCIA FARQUAR – Live Art Tour – 2012 – LONDON – MEMORIES – LAYERING – LEMONADE – INTENTIONAL AND NON-INTENTIONAL – DIFFERENT YEARS – Art Movement 1960’s – DOES NOT STICK TO A SCRIPT – Every performance in unique from the last despite the identical route.
• PRACTIONERS DISCUSSED IN THIS SESSION
• JEN HARVEY / DEODRY HEDDON / GAY MCAULEY / MISHA MYERS / HEIKE ROMS / CATHY TURNER / FIONA WILKIE / MIWON KWON / DANIEL OLIVER / ERVING GOFFMAN / JOHN SMITH.
• KEY WORDS FROM THIS SESSION
• SCIPTO THERAPY – Word association and anecdotes used to heal in a positive way.
• COLABERATIONS – An ensemble of people who create a piece of action.
• PARTICIPATION – Person who responds to a situation (Audience)
• SIMULATED – An action created using alternate material.
• SPECIFICITIE – Word used when speaking of a subject that relates to site specific.
• CRINGE – An emotion felt by someone when a situation becomes uncomfortable.
• CONTEXT – Allowing an audience or a person to broaden their minds on a specific topic.

• MY IDEAS AFTER THIS SESSION
• We were all divided off into groups based on how similar our individual ideas were.
• My final idea that I decided to stick by was the visual creation of something solid for performance.
• The group I am working with all enjoyed the idea of creating something physical as a result of our performance.
• With this in mind we were allowed to leave the classroom and brain storm our ideas and see what we could mesh together.
• As a group we mentioned also using word play within our work.
• My group is:
• MARY-JAME PHILLIPS
• DEQUAINE BROWNE
• LAURA WRIGHT
• CHRIS CHAMPION

• In this weeks session we discussed Carl Lavery’s theory he has for Site Specific Performance.
• Talked in to detail about the ’25 instructions’ technique that he spoke of in his book.
• The instructions gave students learning or educators teaching site specific performance the structure or stimulus to create their pieces of art/ performance.
• After reviewing Lavery’s instructions, we were asked to split of into groups of three and create our own set of instructions that we thought would be appropriate to create the same style of effect that Lavery did.
• We were given 30 minutes for this task, once we had done we returned to the studio and we were then asked to exchange our instructions with another groups.
• We had to take the new found instructions and execute them within the city centre.
• Documenting and collecting physical and visual evidence to defend our work. We collected object from the path side when we were instructed to do so. For example I had collected a stone from near a bridge that was under construction and a collection of moss. (Pictured below)
• We also individually recorded the sounds of the street for 60 seconds.
• One instruction we followed was to find the first brunette man we could see and follow him for exactly 100 steps.
• This instruction made me feel uncomfortable completing this task. The way we were behaving, being aware of what we were doing at the other participant had no knowledge. This made me aware of the tacit agreements created to maintain a controlled and safe society. We were purposely breaking these set of ‘rules’. This added to the already tense atmosphere that my group and I had created, because we all knew we were not sticking to the expectation.
• “Stop dead for 3 minutes” This instruction doesn’t sound like a very hard or a pressuring thing to do. Due to the previous instruction being to set a stopwatch for 60 seconds and power walk in any direction, we ended up in front of the train line barriers just before they were due to come up and let the pedestrians cross again. This created yet another socially testing technique because we were stood in the walking space of everyone wanting to pass through to the other side. This instruction also heightened the factor of time because in the city everyday life seems sped up this caused by the hustle and bustle of the career men and women. It didn’t help that we were doing this experimental technique during dinner hours.
• Although we didn’t create these set of instructions we all discussed afterwards that we couldn’t help but feel responsible for the discomfort we had made the participants experience.
• Reactions we recorded from the members of the public were varied but not largely. Many people were aggravated by our actions and we continuously received many disappointed and angered facial expressions.

. IDEAS AFTER THIS SESSION:

. Speakers Corner – Create awkward list of instructions to perform within that space to obstruct people continue for 2 hours and record the actions of every passing member.

. Old Market Place – Nostalgia – Replay old sayings and callings that would have been spoken out whilst stood on heightened levels – costume and décor surrounding is going to be associated with the era that the market first opened – INFLATION – How things have changed from that era to now – The heightened prices and heightened expectations of generations – compare.

. Removed the Brayford River Idea – To much pressure on the participating audience for them to actually acknowledge me being there – not a guarantee.

. NEW IDEA – Lincoln in time / Lincoln city one moment – staring at the detail on a building opposite the train station waiting to go home – Paint large ply board pieces of wood with patterns of the city that would have been accommodated during the era that the cathedral was first built –

• 1141 – Cathedral suffered a fire that destroyed most of its structure.
• 15^th April, 1185 – Cathedral suffered an earthquake the biggest ever recorded to ever hit England.

. Whilst painting these patterns play recording of ‘Great Tom’ the biggest bell that ever rung in the cathedral towers. “It may no longer be the biggest, but in the hearts of many it certainly remains the best”

 

KEY WORDS

. SUPERMODERNINITY – Bombarded by imaging/ Modern Life

. NON-PLACES – Short period resting positions – Airports/ Carparks/ Train stations/ etc.

. PLACES – Has a cultural meaning to the community and society alike.

 

KEY PRACTIONTIONERS

. CARL LAVERY

– Reviewed as a group the context of the modal handbook for this modal.

– Discussed a detailed outline of what Site Specific Performance is. That it’s seen more as a piece of art rather than a performance.

– We walked into the city centre and verbally established the perimeter that we were to stick to when defining our performance spaces. Using the knowledge and information I was able to apply a widened view on spaces in the city that could become performances spaces.

IDEAS AFTER THIS SESSION:

. The Old Church – Centre of high street – Memorial for the lost soldiers – Empathy

. Cark Park – Levels – Hierarchy – Class – Three separate levels – Each decorated to represent a different class – Nostalgia/ Thinking point

. Old Council Building – Levels – More relevant to the hierarchy idea – Council – Implying control

. Old Market Place – Old story replays – Based on the factual research of that specific market place from years ago

. Brayford River – Being seen – Societies longing to be seen but also wanting privacy – audience to make their own perceptions

. Jack Wills Building – Old Wool Factory – The stories from within that building replayed?

. Speakers Corner – Old Memories for the older population – nostalgia – mesh with new generations

. Train Station – Forever changing audience – something repetitive, quick and easy to reflect

. Station Street – Old streets with character – fun to perform on

. St Marys Street – Old street with character – fun to perform on – word play using floor space.

. St Marys Conduit – Lincoln population’s water collection – The travels to the water – The giving of water – play with the idea of giving and receiving in modern day and age compared to then.

KEY WORDS

DIREVE – Drifting from one place to another – transition

KEY PRACTITIONERS

. BOB WOLLY and LEE MILLER

. GEORGE PERIKK

. JEREMY WOOD

. CHRISTIAN NOLD

. VITTO ACCONCINI

. SOPHIE CALLE

. JANET CARDIFF

. CARLOS CELDRAN

. MARCIA FARQUAR

. MIKE PEARSON

. GUY DEBORD

. RICHARD SERRA

. DANIEL BELASCO RODGERS

. NICK KAYE

. STEVE FOSSEY