A Roundup of Questions
20 / 06 / 2023
Some questions that arose from performance tryouts:
1) How can solo performance research, i.e. being alone in the room, be something that contributes to a collaborative performance practice?
2) Is there a value in just doing, even when it feels like going through the motions, or aiming at something?
3) Does emotional commitment to the seriousness of the task at hand make it a more successful process? Does a lack of commitment to seriousness detract from the success of the task?
4) Does ‘feeling stupid’ always mean that the performer ‘looks stupid’?
5) Is there a ground in performance that is neither the taking it super seriously high art poker face thing, and neither the ironic I’m being a cool clown thing? Is there a place where the artist can genuinely be neither of those things in front of an audience? Of course there is, but what is it? What is it for me? What does it look like?
6) Does applying a meditative mindset actually have an effect on what the audience see? Or is it just a way of me trying to make the movement experiments feel more valid somehow?
7) What happens if I just stand there?
8) Is there a value in the audience seeing abortive movement, or genuine attempts at creating something that is impossible to create? How can this space be held without falling into clowning? Or without it being uncomfortable for the audience?
9) What happens if I really first believe I am a crow and then I move like a person?
10) What happens if I really first believe I am a person and then I (attempt to) move like a crow?
11) What is the difference between i) moving like a crow, ii) moving like a person moving like a crow, and iii) moving like how a person thinks a crow moves? Which of these are more effective? Can all strategies be used?
12) How would a crow move if it had a person’s body? How would a person move if it had a crow’s body?
2) Is there a value in just doing, even when it feels like going through the motions, or aiming at something?
3) Does emotional commitment to the seriousness of the task at hand make it a more successful process? Does a lack of commitment to seriousness detract from the success of the task?
4) Does ‘feeling stupid’ always mean that the performer ‘looks stupid’?
5) Is there a ground in performance that is neither the taking it super seriously high art poker face thing, and neither the ironic I’m being a cool clown thing? Is there a place where the artist can genuinely be neither of those things in front of an audience? Of course there is, but what is it? What is it for me? What does it look like?
6) Does applying a meditative mindset actually have an effect on what the audience see? Or is it just a way of me trying to make the movement experiments feel more valid somehow?
7) What happens if I just stand there?
8) Is there a value in the audience seeing abortive movement, or genuine attempts at creating something that is impossible to create? How can this space be held without falling into clowning? Or without it being uncomfortable for the audience?
9) What happens if I really first believe I am a crow and then I move like a person?
10) What happens if I really first believe I am a person and then I (attempt to) move like a crow?
11) What is the difference between i) moving like a crow, ii) moving like a person moving like a crow, and iii) moving like how a person thinks a crow moves? Which of these are more effective? Can all strategies be used?
12) How would a crow move if it had a person’s body? How would a person move if it had a crow’s body?