UNTITLED CONVERSATONS: 1, 2, 3... (performance)

So, two Saturdays ago we presented UNTITLED CONVERSATIONS: 1, 2, 3... Marie Collins, Jess Hall, and Laurie Parsons were our intrepid performers. This was not just their first time presenting such intimate and participatory work, but it was also the first time they engaged in a duration activity of this kind. They were at it for over an hour and 15 minutes!

UNTITLED CONVERSATION 1:

Instructions: Choose a number between 1 and 10. Put the earphones on. Sit down at the table. Press play. Ring the bell. Enjoy! This was an intense exchange between performer an audience member. Placed within a public setting, they both shared a charged and magical moment, and looking deeply into each other's eyes, the performer wrote a stream of consciousness based on the impressions received from the audience member. At the end of the exchange, after putting on the blindfold again, the performer handed this text over in a sealed envelope. The experience was largely shaped by the qualities brought to the table by the audience member, as well as the music track they would have unknowingly chosen.

UNTITLED CONVERSATION 2:

Instructions: Walk in, alone. In a quite room, the performer faced a small mirror placed on an easel. The audience members essentially received no instructions. A red line of tape on the floor suggested an area that should not be stepped into, other than that, they had to work out the mechanics of the engagement by themselves. The performer would make eye contact with the audience member and, without speaking a word out loud, they attempted to communicate. Anybody who was not skilled at lip-reading would have found this to be a very frustrating experience. At the same time, the audience members would often talk out loud, drawing attention to their own voices.

UNTITLED CONVERSATION 3:

Instructions: No overt ones whatsoever. A performer sits on a chair in a public place, hiding behind a 'mask'. No words are spoken, only glances are exchanged. In this way the performer beckons over an unsuspecting audience member and invites them to sit down and hide behind another 'mask'. A whispered conversation ensues, at times coquettish at times coy, at times warm at times cold. As they talk, both are observed by other members of the public and, at points, 'perform' for them a playful dance of peekaboo.

...................................................................................................................................................

We did have some notebooks for the audience to write their feedback.... And the organisers of the event did give out some forms as well. So, as soon as we have had a meeting with our fantastic performers to debrief, I will write a little something about how the pieces went. So, watch this space.

Pablo

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...

one to one performance

Just had a session with some students at The University of Kent (applied performance) we were talking about making work FOR people and tomorrow we're going to look at one to one performance as i think its a good way to get juices flowing on the subject creatively.... this is definately worth a look!
www.thisisliveart.co.uk/Resources/Study_Room/Guides/Rachel_Zerihan.html

if you're interested...

Rick

Untitled Conversations: 1, 2, 3... (rehearsals)

This evening we had our second rehearsal for what is not called Untitled Conversations: 1, 2, 3...
What happened to the first rehearsal I hear you say? Well, I must confess that I forgot to blog about it. Apologies.
So, to recap.... When we found out about Glue’s “Scratch Interact” event we thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to dust off one of those ideas that has been sitting on the shelf for quite a while, and try it out.
Untitled Conversations: 1, 2, 3... is our first piece that will be entirely delivered by a different set of performers: Marie Collins, Jess Hall, and Laurie Parsons. They are all in their final year at the University of Kent, specializing in ‘Contemporary Performance Practice’ (which is the course we completed in 2006). Essentially we have created three one-to-one performances that last only about 5 minutes, and these three lovely people will be delivering them on the day of the event.
At the moment the piece works as a triptych, composed of three short one-to-one encounters which can be experienced in any particular order. Placed within a public space, Untitled Conversations: 1, 2, 3... attempts to interrogate the nature and limits of communication, connections and intimacy within task-based scenarios. Can something unspoken take place between us? Can we share a special moment? Can we really come together when others are watching us? Though tight in its construction, and with various degrees of interaction, the piece is deliberately open to your interpretations and associations.
Here are some pictures of our first rehearsal:

And here are some pictures of this evening’s rehearsal. The black, formal costumes worked a treat, and the use of red elements helped tie them all together:

We think the piece is ideally suited for foyer setting, so we will see how the scratch goes and what happens to the project from here onwards.

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!!

ADVERT FOR WEBSITE DESIGNER

Advert for Website Designer

What we need

Accidental Collective is looking for a Website Designer based in East Kent to design and build an innovative, exciting and interactive website for the company’s new performance project, i am small THE WORLD IS BIG.

This is an excellent opportunity for a budding or experienced web designer to develop their skills and creativity and to collaborate on a truly exciting project. The website will be at the very heart of the project and will provide a great platform for a designer. Although we do not have a large budget, there is a small fee attached to this position, which can be discussed on application.

The website should

1. aesthetically reflect the project’s themes
2. appear inviting and user-friendly for audience and participants (aged 9-90!)
3. be interactive (different communities should be able to reflect on their
experiences and connect with each other via message boards, uploading photos etc)
4. allow for the company to easily update the content

Who are we?

We are Accidental Collective, an experimental theatre and live art company, based in Canterbury. We produce performance, live events and installations that act as provocations and aim to intervene in the everyday. Over the last four years, we have been funded by Canterbury City Council, Eastbourne Borough Council, Kent County Council, Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Fund.
For more information go to http://www.accidentalcollective.co.uk/


What is the project?

i am small THE WORLD IS BIG is a Kent-wide, multifaceted, participatory live art performance, funded by Kent County Council. It aims to positively connect communities across Kent through creative action and question the gaps between the individual, the local and the international. The project will begin with a series of workshops with a selection of diverse groups and communities from across Kent. In these workshops, these groups and communities will stitch together paper fragments of countries and regions cut out of atlases, thereby creating a section of a new version of the World. In a final celebratory event, each group’s section of the new World will be stitched together to form a whole.

If you would like to see trailers of a work-in-progress version of i am small THE WORLD IS BIG, please visit the following links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4LbTD7zNL0&feature=related (Day 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUYbwK5ygjk (Day 2)


The project is running from November 2010 through to May 2011 and as such the web designer would need to be available to update the website at key stages during this time.

To apply, please email iamsmall@accidentalcollective.co.uk, stating your interest and a little bit about yourself. The closing date for emailing is Friday 12th November at 5 pm. If you have any questions before applying, please email the above address or call Daisy Orton on 07793973447.

So we are back, we are landed, and we are taking stock.
We’ve had a little post-pause; pause… as it were.
I have overseen workmen coming and insulating my flat, walked around Strood on a sprained ankle, and spent time working on events production and planning with teens in Maidstone.

Pause over.
So lets reflect…
…We think we can call the weekend we spent at Derby Festé a nice, big, juicy success.

It went like this… (Excuse me while I shake my brain to make sure it comes out in the right order…)

Friday - Rick, Daisy and Laura head up to Derby with 4 large wheeled suitcases, 1 box of flat-pack shelving, two large holdalls and an umbrella.

Saturday - Two gazebos, deep pink in colour and carpeted inside, are erected on Market Place opposite an enormous green blow up slide featuring The Hulk and charging £1.50 for 5 goes. (Apparently 27 makes you too old to have a go)
5 jars in each gazebo
1 bookcase in each gazebo,
2 chairs in each gazebo,
1 rug in each gazebo,
1 performer in each gazebo…
11 o’clock rolls around and it begins:
In couples and alone people start to book in and fill up our 5 minute sessions up.
Allowing for 12 sessions an hour (6 apiece for the 2 performers) bookings overtake walk-ins very quickly… we were kind of anticipating a warm up period, maybe some dips and lulls in audience attendance throughout the day… Nope…
In fact, so popular did Audio Treatment, Complimentary Therapy, Burden loss Treatment, Transportative therapy and Achievement treatment appear to be… that we stayed open for nearly an extra hour at the end of the day.
I’d call that successful.

Sunday - More of the same… though this time in the pleasant park land in front of Derby Cathedral… fittingly named Cathedral Green.
Oh, and for 2 hours less into the evening. We had to pack up the various cases, bags, boxes and brollies and hot foot it to the train station for the trawl home.

In all we saw 170 people, giving away as many happy endings. Our hands were feeling a bit drunk from all the alcohol-based antiseptic hand wash, our eyes needed some time to adjust to a world that was not pink. We turned away nearly 150 people as we just couldn’t fit them in… next time it’ll be 3 gazebos…

BUT…..
Lists and flippant descriptions aside though, that’s only half the story.
Statistics, timings, bookings, gazebos, rugs and jars…
There’s some video to be posted on good ol’ YouTube and we’ll keep you posted on its posting… as it were…

In the mean time, I have yen to explain how magical, sweet, bizarre and soothing the whole experience was…

During a ’group session’ of Complimentary Therapy I saw an 8 year old boy burst into tears when his Dad paid him the compliment that “I really love spending time with you and love how great it feels to be with you…”
This was not about exploitation, nor was it about encouraging big emotive gestures (though it did not actively discourage them either). This was about offering clients a chance to remember how it feels to hear nice things said to them. This was about offering a client a chance to remember how it feels to say nice things about someone close to them.
“I love the backs of you knees..” (giggles from both)
“I love that you make me try new things”
“I like your domestic pottering, cos I like domestic pottering too”

As with happy endings, a compliment for one person can mean nothing to another.

Watching people smile as their burdens were swallowed up and taken away was warming. I never knew what people wrote on their little slip of paper. The paper had a line, a word, an image that summed up their burden, the one they wanted to be rid of. This was burden loss…
Watching someone go from concentration on their most burdensome of burdens to a smile, a giggle, a full on laugh… seeing how somebody, everybody, changes they way they sit, move, emote once they have laughed or smiled. That’s a nice thing to witness.
This was probably, and maybe unsurprisingly, the most popular of treatments. By the end of the weekend I almost felt I owed those clients something. A thank you for sharing that moment with me.

I don’t really want to talk through all the therapies here. I need to balance my literary drive with theatrical mystique and avoid further descriptions…

I will say though, that simply sitting in a tent with a person, sharing a lose proximity, even for 5 minutes, seems to offer surprises and shocks and even those dangerous warm fuzzy feelings we’ve mostly learnt to be suspicious of… maybe it was the pinkness of it all…

R