Venue for: i am small THE WORLD IS BIG

Those of you already familiar with i am small THE WORLD IS BIG might remember that we were quite keen on locating the project in metaphorical or actual seats of power. In its first incarnation, in February 2010, the piece occupied the Senate Building at the University of Kent (where all important counsel meetings regarding the university's governance are held). So, now that the project has grown tenfold and will be Kent-wide... What would be the ideal venue? Something suitable large? Something with connections to power? Something which would be the perfect location to tap into the project's international, socio-political, and personal concerns?

(cue drum roll)

Of course, it could only be County Hall in Maidstone! On a practical level, you could say it is the geographical centre of Kent (and it is easy to get to because Maidstone East train station is just over the road). More importantly thou, on a conceptual level, is is also the political centre of Kent - the main base for Kent County Council. Since they are funding this next versoon of the project, it makes sense to choose this as a venue for a number of reasons.

The building is quite impressive from the outside. Solid. Stable. Gray. Though the entrance now used is on the side, we prefer this main/majestic archway. There is definitely a sense of 'drama' as you walk into the courtyard. So, the fact that i am small THE WORLD IS BIG will take over this building, and offer people a peek into it, will hopefulyl spark a number of very interesting/relevant associations.

Essentially, i am small THE WORLD IS BIG will occupy and animate four distinc areas/environments. There is obviously the courtyard. Hopefully we will be able to secure full access to it, and ensure that there are no cars parked there...

As you face the building, on the right hand side, is a glass entrance to the main reception area. Aesthetically speaking, we have begun to move away from the corportate feel we used in the previous version of the project, and towards a more homely/makeshift/personable feel. It will be interesting to see how we can, temporarily, transform this reception area and reimagine its use.

Past the reception desk, up a few steps, is the entrance to the next area/environment: the gallery. This is a long, though relatively wide space, which is sometimes used for exhibitions. It is likely that the 'satellite' activities will be located here, because it is a space to prime/prepare the audience for the main action: the bringing together of various re-stitched map fragments created by the communities. What excites us is that, unlike in other historic/official building we have worked in before, this space has panelling all around it (yay, no more agonising as to whether we can use pins or blue tack).

From the gallery you enter the main hall. This is actually only used as a transitionary space and KCC staff just walk through it as they go about their business. However, it is where we will place the heart of the project: the map-making. It has a lovely stone floor, and plenty of pannelling along the walls. For better or worse the large doors that lead back onto the courtyard cannot be open. This inevitably means that the audience will go on a linear journey, and then go back on themselves to exit. We just have to work with what we got. What interesting and potentially very useful, is that the hall has essentially two levels. The main space is the 'ground floor', but then there are some steps onto another level, which is conveniently framed by something resembling a proscenium arch! From there, a grand staircase leads to the first floor. What's great about this is that, even though we cannot use the first floor, we will hopefully be able to use the staircase... It would be idea for any 'grand' entrances (not that we have one at the moment).

More to follow soon.... If you want to find out how we will occupy/transform County Hall, watch this space...

Pablo

PS: I am pretty sure I have already introduced her, but just in case I forgot... We are working with a scenographer! Fiona Watt. Her background is in stage work, but she has increasingly been drawn to site-specific or non-text-based work. Check out her website: http://www.fionawatt.com/ We have already begun to have some very interesting conversations, and when she came to see County Hall with us she was as enthused as we were. I think I will leave all of that for another time thou...

Helooooooooooooooooooo 2011

Well its a new year, start of the 20teens... a whole world of possibilities are opening up... well actually, they were all there in the first place, but some how the sense of a new year, a clean slate is invigorating...

We At collective HQ have been biiiiiiiiiiiiizeeeeeeee... where to start...

Pablo is on the cusp of finishing his Phd... soon it'll be Dr Pablo thank you very much. Rick's been poorly and Daisy's been keeping us all together. isnt that nice...

Now i know you dont read this blog to hear about the social, medical and academic comings and going of AC but there we are, its nice to let you know.

There have also been some quite exciting happenings in the world of the company too... would you like to hear about those..? (If not you might want to skip this next bit)

Firstly, we had a nice trip up The Basement in Brighton. The folks there are helping us to continue developing our piece "Everone's looking for someone..." which began life as a scratch performance there last year.

Last week we had a day down there. We had a long chat about ideas for developing the piece....

(Fot those of you with a short term memory, or if you're new to this blog - The piece comes in two parts. Te first is a collosal game of hide and seek around a town or sity centre where two besuited figures engage with passers-by, strangers, in a bid to find one another. They leave notes around the place and ask [eople to call if they see their opposite number around. The second part entails an evening performance in a venue where the days journeying and hunting is recounted, text messages and voicemails broadcast. Lots of storytelling, sidelines into the meaning of looks and looking, losing and finding and the reasons we are all, in our own way, looking for someone ensues...)

There are a few things we're trying to iron out though...

When we scratched the event back in summer last year, the sun was shining and all the beautiful people of Brighton we eager to help... These two odd looking characters werent really defined, their aim (apartr from looking) was abit limp and seemed to develop over ther day. That was ok as it was abit of a trial. Fast forward a few months... Its January, its cold and rainy... Brighton's beautiful people ar eall tucked up in cafes, homes and wherever else they take their beautiful selves. But we're still trying to nail down the approach and aims of this search... How do we get people involved..?

Much conversation.

What if they were supposed to meet... if they have to give a presentation but they cant be there and are searching to find the other to tell them BEFORE the event starts..? What if we give them a story for people to invest in..? what if we give them a purpose people can relate to... inject a sense of urgency..?

Well... Apparently all that does is scare people.

We took this new sense of purpose and fiction onto the streets for a trial.

People are very sweet. One girl almost cried, such was her depth of feeling for this lost and desperate figure's (my) plight.

Not quite the type of engagement we were looking for. Sympathy enlists sentiments of hopefulness, charity... somehow there was some fun missing...

Back to the drawing board for that part... So we high-tailed it back to the studio for some brainwork...

I mean, really... what's it all about?

is this whole thing about human relationships? Is it about loss and memory? is it about this inate sense of incompleteness most of us feel when we are bereft of human contact..?

I hate my own company... but then i'm bloody minded, opinionated and pedantic... i manage to hide it around other people (mostly) but there's no hiding that from yourself.

Yes, there's something in the joy of other people... Even ET had the urge to phone home, right?

There's nothing so good for the soul as a heart to heart with someone, being honest and open with someone, loving someone, being appreciated by someone, just sitting with someone, sharing a joke with some one... someone, someone, someone....

So in someways our trip to Brighton was a failure (street trials didnt work...) BUT... knowing what you're thinking about iss a good starting point and we managed to spend some time working that out.



In other news....

We're still pushing on with our most ambitious project to date "i am small, the world is BIG" the big final celebratory event of which is scheduled for May... We're still on the hunt for potential ready made communities to take part in a short workshop where they get to re-imagine the world and stitch a new world map along their own whimsical lines, sao if you're in the WI, a school, youth group, The Army, The Church, work in an office... then we could come and work with you for just a couple of short hours and you'd get to be part of this exciting, Kent wide project.

The website is in process and the aesthetic and design stuff is pulling together nicely... cant wait.

There's more exciting stuff in the pipeling with Accidental Collective premiering a new and as yet un-named piece as part of "Scratch-interract" currated by Glue and to be held on the 5th of Feb at the Jarman Building on t=the Kent Unicersity campus. its between 3 and 6 and free to attend. However, some of the performances within the event are limited capacity and places are gonna be first come first served... but if you wanna get in there early then you can always book (its FREE) here.. http://scratchinteract.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/free-tickets-kent/
Its gonna be a mindblowing Saturday afternoon of interactive performance from some really amazing theatre makers! So dont miss out!!!

And finally!!!

Worldfest is here again and the Gulbenkian and University of Kent is once again playing host to all sorts of international related and themed events 23rd-26th of Feb. We'll post more info as and when we get it but Accidental Collective are performing and trying out some innovative games and entertainments in the big marquee outside the library on friday 25th between 6 and 8 and you should def come see us!!!!

ok, i bet your eyes are tired!! my fingers certainly are... mammoth post... next one will be more meat and less catch up... i promise!!