PhD Progress Report

I am working towards three components to present as my thesis:

Written Component (Approx 40 -60k)

Divided into two parts:

Part 1: A contextual study of the theory, construction, and performance of the Bio-Object in the theatre of Tadeusz Kantor:

Introduction: The Door of Cricot 2 (An Entrance) at 5 Kanonicza Street, Krakow.
Object 1: The School Bench from The Dead Class (1975)
Object 2: The Wardrobe from Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes (1973)
Object 3: The Death Machine from The Madman and the Nun (1963)

These objects will be considered through the analytical framework of Postdramatic theory and the philosophical implications of making the object perform through the notions of Stasis, Ghosts and Possession.

Part 2: Taking this contextual study as a framework the second part will contain a written analysis of the application of this theory through the construction and performance of a contemporary Bio-Object. As in Part 1, the analysis will be considered from the perspective of the objects themselves. The Bio-Object will take the form of a String Machine (A concept that is unpacked through the exhibition and made explicit through the final performance)

Reference will be made to the work presented at the exhibition and final performance. In this respect a supporting DVD of exhibition material and footage of the performance will be submitted with the written component.

Exhibition

Through a series of residencies, workshops and performative presentations I intend to explore the practical and artistic considerations involved in constructing a contemporary Bio-Object leading towards a final performance.

The documentation of these accumulative events will be presented in an exhibition that will be presented in conjunction with the final performance. This documentation of the practice will be assembled under the rubric of ‘the collection’. This means the objects, DVD documentation, photographs, inventories; notebooks etc. will be collected, arranged and displayed as artefacts of the performance event.

Final Performance

This will consist of the realisation of a contemporary Bio-Object in the form of a string machine. The exemplar performance will be a result of the practical application of theory expressed through the written component and the accumulative events presented at exhibition.

Forthcoming practice 2008


Artist residency at Theatre Materials/Material Theatres conference for The Centre for Excellence in Training for Theatre at Central School of Speech and Drama.


Duration: 14 – 18th April 2008
Visit http://www.cssd.ac.uk/cett/ for more information.

The residency will be based around the creation of a string machine in a studio within The Central School of Speech and Drama. The title of the project is - Priming the String Machine: The Object as Postdramatic Gesture.

Although the residency will contain a degree of response to the space at Central, the overall content of the work has been predetermined. To further the notion of the memory theatre as part of what might constitutes a Bio-Object I have decided to return to a specific element of an earlier performance work The Lightning Conductor (2005). The element of which I will return to, is an object used within the show: A mink fur wrap worn by the character of Meret. Therefore the string machine will be constructed from the perspective of the mink fur. (Image documentation of The Lightning Conductor can be found at http://www.museumoftheend.com/ - the mink fur can be seen around Meret’s neck)

A number of objects have been assembled to respond to this notion including several duplicate mink furs and a number of miniature puppets of the character of Meret. The voice of the actress who originally played the character will be taped and inserted into the machine.

These ideas are intended to set a playful framing to approach and to give a structure in which to make decisions that have a dialogue with a pervious performance event. Therefore the objective of the residency is focused on the progress of the form rather than allowing the content to dictate.

Further objectives of residency:

1) To gather progressive audience feedback of perceptions and engagements with the apparatus outside of a formal performance event (specifically the perspective of an audience who have never encountered the work before)
2)To implement a more sophisticated control apparatus allowing for a greater degree of finesse during manipulation; to build fishing reels and other winding mechanisms into the control system; to realise a table mechanism that is currently at the design stage.
3)To start exploration into the practical implications of integrating the miniature within the string machine.
4)To initiate the notebook system as a form for recording the process of practice.
5)To develop a model for future residencies through quickly assembling a working string machine in an unknown space and therefore gaining a heightened understanding of the form.


The residency is structured as following:

3-days Response and construction.
1-day Performative Workshop.
1-day Performance Presentation.


Conference Paper at Theatre Materials/Material Theatres.

I will present a 20 minute paper at the conference titled: Performing the Object/Avoiding the Subject: The Object as Postdramatic Gesture. The paper will contextualise the work presented during the residency and introduce the wider exploration of my PhD research into the possibilities of approaching object manipulation through a postdramatic form as exemplified by Kantor.


Notebook System


I have devised a notebook system that it is intended to document and notate the process of performance practice. The notebooks will be accessible through Exhibition and as an appendix to the written component. They will organise the multiple facets of practice as well as becoming an integral part of the apparatus of the total ‘thing’ that constitutes the Bio-Object. In this regard they will serve as the assembly instructions of the Bio-Object presented through the final performance.

Notebooks:

- Object
- Intentionality/Animation
- Totem
- Experimental Text (Outside the Morgue of Fame)

I will expand upon this in due course.

Roaming Memory Theatre

The roaming memory theatre is a form intended to present a (re) appearance of the theatre work The Galapagos Man through a miniaturised roaming toy theatre. The toy theatre is built on top of one of the original items of set. This item (a table on wheels) becomes a form of ‘roaming machine’ that acts a memory theatre of the original production.

Technical Considerations:

§ The ‘roaming machine’ is completely self-contained and pushed around by a nurse who will instruct audience members about viewing.

§ The roaming machine can be adapted for performance in any space and has the potential to be taken outside of the gallery space, onto the streets and surrounding area. This adaptation can be done by the company through a site visit prior to performance or in consoltation with the venue.

§ At certain intervals the machine will play out a miniaturised version of The Galapagos Man. Each performance will take approx 10 minutes.

§ The lights and tape recorders on the machine are all battery powered.

§ The machine is 1.5m x 0.7m x 1m. The performance can be adapted to the area in which it is placed.

§ No technical assistance is required when performing – a space for some assembly is needed before the performance starts.

§ A framing of the performance as a memory theatre will be provided to the audience through a small sensory-programme that is handed to each spectator (if they choose to take one)

I am currently applying to various Live Art Festivals to enquire if they can accommodate this promenade style performance.