On the performance day, i had no idea how to feel about what was going to happen. Our performance couldn’t be rehearsed so what happened on the day was completely spontaneous. We had no idea how the audience where going to react, where they where going to sit and what was going to happen.

The performance space

we closed off the space in studio 1 to make the space quite intimate and small, at the opposite end of the entrance we put a sofa in the corner so the audience can sit and watch. Similarly, if the audience wanted to sit on the sofa they would have to cross the space, therefore travelling through the uncomfortable setting to get to the sofa. It was interesting to see who would cross that barrier and go sit on the sofa, and surprisingly only a few people crossed the space to sit on, two being the lecturers that assessed us. There were no rules to where the audience could be nothing was said to them and surprisingly the audience all gathered in a bunch near the entrance, could this be for safety?

The Performance

When the performance had started, the projection was going and we was all spread around the room, as we got further into the performance and items of clothing had been taken off i stayed clear of the middle of the room where the light and attention was going. I thought if i was to go in the middle of the space while the projection was going on all the attention would’ve been on me, and i didn’t like that and i thought i was exposed enough. It was interesting to see that all the girls in the performance and retreated to the side once the performance got more intense. It gave off the impression that the more the issues where brought to light to somehow get over, the more myself and the other performers wanted to get back to the edges merging into the audience to become safe. Additionally, this says something about vulnerability and exposure of the mind and body, it gives off the impression that sometimes people don’t get over there insecurities or get over the problems and issues that make yourself vulnerable.

During the performance i thought we have achieved what we wanted to achieve by showing the audience the mental and physical vulnerable state, by the use of media and live performance. Revealing what we revealed in the performance explored issues that are not really talked about in person and are normally hidden away for no one to hear. We wanted to create a performance where the audience couldn’t escape the exposure unless they left the performance space complexly, engaging the audience that way. There where no rules for the audience, they could sit wherever they wanted, react how they wanted and to show emotion however they wanted. During the performance, a hard issue was raised for one of the performers and one of the audience reacted and gave the performer a hug, the space was open for them to do what they want.

Photo Taken: 11/12/13 Credit: Livvie Milne.

During the performance i thought there was a quite voyeuristic feel to the performance as the audience was sitting in on us sharing some private personal memories and also taking close off and being exposed which is normally a private event. Getting undressed is something you do normally do in private, but to be undressing and to be looked upon can be voyeuristic but not necessarily in a sexual manor. We wanted to de-sexualise the body and the performance of taking clothes off when getting undressed. However this depends on what the audience thinks about the performers undressing, some audience members could take it as sexual.

I feel that the performance did go well, and we achieved what we wanted to achieve. It was a hard performance and i had no intention of going as far as i did with the whole nakedness i surprised myself a lot. During the performance i was the first person to take my dress off revealing my underwear, i felt exposed and quite overwhelmed with the experience parts of the performance when the projection was showing my experience about loss and how i lost my sister and Nan made me feel too exposed and made me want to put my clothes back on at least for a while.  However, with the ongoing support of my friends and performers, i built up the courage to go to just pants and that was a big thing to do as i hate my body so much.

This performance could of passed as a feminist performance and it may of come across as feminist, but it wasn’t done intentionally. It was fortunate that we did have an all female cast, and the questions raised where about the body, sex and relationships but at the age we are these questions could of been relevant to the opposite sex as well.

Influences

One of the influences that aided our performance was Marina Abramović when she did the performance ‘The Artist is Present’. Sitting in a gallery for seven hours for three months inviting the audience to sit with her, while she looks at them. You could say this made Marina Abramović and/or the audience vulnerable, i feel that staring into someones eyes can reveal a lot about a person and the lives they leave. In, relation to our performance we was watching and observing the video and how the audience reacted towards this and how they reacted towards us. Another influence is Vanessa Beecroft, she is an artist that explores “women, often dressed in nothing but high heels, stand silent and still. Like passive witnesses to an era dominated by images of the female body” (Rumma Lia, Galleria, 2010) in relation to our performance she is exploring something that can be quite self indulgent, posing questions and making people think about society and body, which can make some people vulnerable.

What would i change about the performance?

If we where to do the performance again, i would love to have a male actor in, i feel it would give the performance a different dynamic. Also, i would like to get a more wide range of questions from people that aren’t our age and people that weren’t students as i feel that would also change the piece and more people would be able to relate to it. Overall, i am very happy with the piece presented on 11th December and i am very proud of my group.

Photo Taken: 11/12/13. Credit: Dan Hunt.

Rumma Lia, Galleria (2010) Vannessa Beecroft, Online: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/focus-on/2010/02/vanessa-beecroft#ad-image1242 (accessed: 15th December 2013).