View from the Hill

Here’s a link to a picture of me from the performance space.

view from hill

The whole set is here:
blacktempest07’s public moves flicker set

Second Performance

When the first performance ended we went and talked about how the performance went and we watched the video of it. The perspective from that angle was extremely different from my perspective. there was so much more creativity and energy in the intersection than I can see during the performance. The stillness is also much more monumental when you can see it from in front of the performance space. The non-performers movement is so hesitant and subtle against the rest of the people.

Before the second performance among the team we decided upon distinct signals for each part. We also made sure that I was able to see Dave from my position. The calls and soft talking were added back in. I grounded again during the entrance and “went around the drum” before the calls started. The whole feeling of the second performance was very different. There was a security and comfort in it that allowed people to improvise and go beyond what happened in the first one. The sun was very low in the sky and that became a barrier to what I could see of the performance space. It seemed as though the increased familiarity allowed me to enter the flow and become less aware of the distinct transitions and just go with it. I also tried to join the movement by mimicking the performers running up and down the hill, by running toward and away from the edge, I hope it came across more as playful than suicidal.

I was especially proud of the feedback at the end of the performance, I think we did a really good job of feeding off one another and the grass blowers.

A lot of people commented on my appearance at the end being very startling, I’m anxious to see some photos of what I looked like from their perspective.

The following photos were taken by Rachel Kreutzinger:

The first performance

The first performance was at 2:00. I climbed up the ladder to the roof of the Visionary. The space was great in that I could walk right up to edge of the roof. It was so open, I could visually and spacially interact with with the performers with the only barrier being open air. In the first performance I was fairly confused. It was impossible to see my visual contact, Dave, to signal to him what I was doing. The voice parts had also been cut out so I was unsure of when my cues would come, it was easy enough to respond to Professor Bradley, but the waiting was very strange, my attention was divided between trying to decipher where the individual sounds had been derived and concentrating on the movement on the hill trying to find the other megaphone performers. 

Before the piece started I took time to ground myself, so that I would stay connected and in the moment. I feel like it was very effective, I was never caught off guard during the performance and I very much enjoyed watching and being part of the performance, despite being preoccupied with not knowing when my cues would come.

This is my view from the roof:

The performance (before)

I was filled with a sense of profound excitement when I entered the “Public Moves Green Room” that afternoon.

Here is Johua Bisset giving final instructions and answering questions.

There’s Dave and Jessica, rapt.

And some cute kids.

There were so many people, it was really exciting and nervewracking to wait for the other megaphoners to arrive. This was my first time inside the Visionary Art Museum, the place is really gorgeous and inspiring. The place was so active! Visually and energy wise, the place is thrumming.

Visionary Art Museum

This is the top floor of one of the buildings, where last Saturday’s rehearsal was held.

First Rehearsal

These are images of the first rehearsal I attended for public moves. 10/11

The New Header

Is a patch of grass from the National Mall, after the rain the grass glistened when the sun broke through the clouds, looking resilient after the rain and the multitudes of people whom had stepped on it.

Public Moves

This Blog has been created to document my involvement in the project Public Moves, an installation directed by the Shua Group. From the way Professor Bradley has described it it promises to be an astonishing miasma of sound. He has spoken of orchestrations of insect noises and other ambient sounds and noises, however he has also proposed the inclusion of car horns, which only signal a disturbing noise to my mind. I’ve been reading a book called The Affected Provincial’s Companion which speaks of treading the diaphanous edge of experience, I hope that that is what I glean from my involvement in the Shua Group project, something sublime and nearly intangible after the fact.