Week 3: Childhood and Space

Childhood and Space

This week I have been considering how to use space in my performance. The 3m square performance space provides a challenge, and I want to use the space creatively. I have found that this article by Cai Thomas about movement inspires me to be bolder with my physicality and the ways in which I will perform.

In the workshop this week, we focused on playfulness and the imaginative ways we used space as children. A performance for children, Egg and Spoon by the Lyngo Theatre Company, cleverly uses both space and props in an imaginative manner, which results in a visually engaging performance. I am drawn to this idea of playful theatre, and would like to explore it more.

Keeping the concept of childhood in mind, we were encouraged to work in a group to create a small performance connecting to the theme of identity. We were only given bamboo canes and sheet of paper and pens to make costumes. At first we found it difficult to devise using these props, but once we started to think back to how we would have reacted to them as children, we became far more imaginative. We made butterfly wings for one member of the group, weaved him into the middle, trapping him with the canes, and tore them off him. We felt as though this was reflective of the way that individuals are forced to conform by society.

Finally, I have been further researching possibilities regarding space, and found an article on Black-Box Theatre that discusses the performance opportunities it brings. This further encourages me to use my space creatively.

• Cai Tomos, Making Space, https://caitomos.com/writings/
• Lyngo Theatre Company, Egg and Spoon, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUfnM-IWfiw
•  John McCormick, Lynda Henderson and  David Collins, Black-Box Theatre, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25488755.pdf

Week 2: Authorship and Autobiography

Authorship and Autobiography

We began by experimenting with some mirroring exercises. In pairs we had to copy each other’s movements, which was interesting as we seemed to reach a point where neither of us knew which one of us was initiating the actions. Moving seemed to become an almost instinctive, shared action. I think this exercise really highlighted for me the ways that we mirror the behaviour of others, becoming like those we spend a lot of time around, and copying the mannerisms of those we do not know too well in an effort to fit in. Again, this seems to be due to not wanting to be classified as “other”. These ideas are raised in Sophie Calle's letter, which also questions identity.

We were asked to bring in an image of someone we find interesting, and to create a short biography for them. I chose Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, a famous Russian princess who was murdered but sparked many rumours that she was still alive.

We then had to create a series of actions for someone else’s biography to perform whilst it was read out. This seemed to reflect how our identity and our story is perceived different by everyone who comes into contact with us. Lastly, we had to bring a picture of absolutely anything, and we were asked to write a short paragraph/story about it. I brought in a photo of the Northern Lights, choosing to write from the perspective of a child raised in the environment. This caused me to consider how our identity is shaped by landscape.

Recently, we have also been thinking about collective biography, explained in Browyn Davies' and Susanne Gannon's article. I have also been reading an article on 'Self and Identity' by Mark R. Leary and June Price Tangney which explores many of the themes we are encouraged to consider during the module.

• Sophie Calle's letter, https://blackboard.bangor.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-2321096-dt-content-rid-3840242_1/courses/Combi_UXB2121_UXS2121_201617/Sophie%20Calle.pdf , 2004
• Bronwyn Davies and Susanne Gannon, Collective Biography and the Entangled Enlivening of Being, https://blackboard.bangor.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-2325486-dt-content-rid-3845899_1/courses/Combi_UXB2121_UXS2121_201617/Davies%26Gannon_Collective%20biography%20%26%20the%20entangled%20enlivening%20of%20being.pdf
• Mark R. Leary and June Prince Tangney, 'The Handbook of Self and Identity', https://blackboard.bangor.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-2325482-dt-content-rid-3845896_1/courses/Combi_UXB2121_UXS2121_201617/handbook_of_self_and_identity_-_second_edition_-_ch._4_pp._69-104_38_pages.pdf

Week 1: Self and Identity

Self and Identity

This week we focused on exploring the concepts of "self" and "identity". We began the session by each defining the words and pinning them onto the wall. What I found especially interesting was that the same definitions were used interchangeably for the different words, showing that the concepts of self and identity are not fixed, and actually showing the range of individuality within the room. For example, the sentence "who you are", was found both in both groups of definitions.

We then drew pictures of ourselves with our eyes closed, along with a description of ourselves (such as those that are found on online dating websites), and our classmates had to attempt to match the drawings to the descriptions. I found this activity very thought-provoking, as it not only reminded us that identity goes far beyond outward appearance, but also that the way we perceive ourselves may be very different from how we are perceived by others. The fact that our images were unrecognisable due to being drawn with our eyes closed again seemed to reflect this, showing that the person we see in the mirror may be different from what others see when then look at us.

In the seminar we engaged with and discussed "The Death of the Author" by R. Barthes, which explores the idea that "it is the language that speaks, and not the author" (Barthes., p. 143), which is an interesting idea as it suggests that the meaning of a text is created by the reader, rather than the author. I do not completely agree with this idea, though I find the idea thought-provoking as it challenges the authenticity of a performer's identity. We also studied J. Wright's "Who's Writing This Anyway?", which is an article that similarly discusses ideas of anonymity, especially regarding devised theatre. An idea that I was particularly drawn to in this article is the concept of where meaning is put in a performance. Wright argues that this is what sets performances apart, and I feel like it is similarly important to recognise where meaning is found by the audience, again expressing ideas of individuality.

Whilst on the subject of self and identity, this Danish advert contrastingly explores the links which bind us, rather our defining differences. I believe that this is just as an important concept to explore as individuality, especially in such a divided global society such as ours. Again, I believe this shows the problems that arise when individuality is combined with superiority.

• Danish TV advert, http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/01/30/danish-tv-ad-all-that-we-share_n_14504328.html
• R. Barthes, "The Death of the Author", https://blackboard.bangor.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-2321082-dt-content-rid-3840233_1/courses/Combi_UXB2121_UXS2121_201617/Barthes%20Death%20of%20the%20Author.pdf
• J. Wright, "Who's Writing This Anyway?", https://blackboard.bangor.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-2321086-dt-content-rid-3840236_1/courses/Combi_UXB2121_UXS2121_201617/Wright.pdf