geekspeak
Working on the latest proposal for $, and playing in the studio last night (very fun - the playing, not so much the writing) this is what we've come uip with, which i think is gradually becoming clearer....
TALK SHOW is a new performance piece by collective (gulp) dance projects. An evening-length performance, it will be the culmination of a year-long creation and development process. TALK SHOW is about communication and how it permeates the boundaries between private and public spheres. Drawing from the worlds of pop culture, politics, sports and public relations, TALK SHOW explores how language is manipulated to different ends and can be used to conceal our true intentions as much as reveal them. At turns cheekily humourous and others darkly serious, TALK SHOW takes a look at the conventions that surround how information is shared and consumed. It looks at the vulnerability and exposure inherent in public life and what happens when the masks we use as defenses start to slip.
Use of Technology
The integration of technology into TALK SHOW will be achieved through the use of real time video manipulation and a specially designed screen that will be used as a set piece for delineating the performance space inasmuch as it will be used for projected images.
The use of video in live performance projects presents a challenge if we are to avoid some of the pitfalls inherent in the juxtaposition of live performance and video, as one almost invariably upstages the other. The power of a moving image on a big screen often overpowers live action on stage due to its ability to cause us to ignore whatever is going on outside of its frame. Conversely, if the video is insufficiently relevant to the action on stage its overall “flatness” can cause it to become mere backdrop. However, in a world that is increasingly “mediatized”, integrating projection into performance works provides the opportunity to introduce some important reflections on the nature of contemporary experience. Furthermore, using video in performance can bring elements into the work that would otherwise be impossible through the different angles, close-ups or images of far away or fictional places or characters that simply would not be achievable by other means.
Finally, the contrast of the solitary experience of video-watching and the communal experience of going to the theatre fits perfectly into the themes we wish to explore in this project.
In TALK SHOW we are concentrating on developing improvisation scores for both dancer and computer operator (one of the performers and/or an assistant) so that the relationship between the live stage action and the video is always relevant and palpable. By designing a screen that can be easily moved and converted during the performance we will be able to break the convention of having the live stage action always happening in front of a static rectangular screen.
TALK SHOW is a new performance piece by collective (gulp) dance projects. An evening-length performance, it will be the culmination of a year-long creation and development process. TALK SHOW is about communication and how it permeates the boundaries between private and public spheres. Drawing from the worlds of pop culture, politics, sports and public relations, TALK SHOW explores how language is manipulated to different ends and can be used to conceal our true intentions as much as reveal them. At turns cheekily humourous and others darkly serious, TALK SHOW takes a look at the conventions that surround how information is shared and consumed. It looks at the vulnerability and exposure inherent in public life and what happens when the masks we use as defenses start to slip.
Use of Technology
The integration of technology into TALK SHOW will be achieved through the use of real time video manipulation and a specially designed screen that will be used as a set piece for delineating the performance space inasmuch as it will be used for projected images.
The use of video in live performance projects presents a challenge if we are to avoid some of the pitfalls inherent in the juxtaposition of live performance and video, as one almost invariably upstages the other. The power of a moving image on a big screen often overpowers live action on stage due to its ability to cause us to ignore whatever is going on outside of its frame. Conversely, if the video is insufficiently relevant to the action on stage its overall “flatness” can cause it to become mere backdrop. However, in a world that is increasingly “mediatized”, integrating projection into performance works provides the opportunity to introduce some important reflections on the nature of contemporary experience. Furthermore, using video in performance can bring elements into the work that would otherwise be impossible through the different angles, close-ups or images of far away or fictional places or characters that simply would not be achievable by other means.
Finally, the contrast of the solitary experience of video-watching and the communal experience of going to the theatre fits perfectly into the themes we wish to explore in this project.
In TALK SHOW we are concentrating on developing improvisation scores for both dancer and computer operator (one of the performers and/or an assistant) so that the relationship between the live stage action and the video is always relevant and palpable. By designing a screen that can be easily moved and converted during the performance we will be able to break the convention of having the live stage action always happening in front of a static rectangular screen.
