From the beginning of this module, it has been highlighted to us the importance of having a question behind our piece. The question is a vital component in Contemporary Experimental Performance, as it is what drives the performance. As performers it is important to discuss what it is you want to explore, to experiment. It was important to have this question in place as it provides a framework in which to begin constructing our performance, as we discover ways in which we can explore and work out the answer to our experiment.
Over the past months, our ideas have drastically changed and developed. However, despite the vast differences there has always appeared to be a linking theme within each of the ideas and in the research that has been undertaken. This emerging theme has always been concerned with the notions of intimacy and the ideas around the various ways of creating this. In light of all this our question has become stripped back to basics and all we simply what to explore and experiment with is:
What is intimacy and how do we create it?
The importance of the question, for us as a group has been discussed throughout this module. With every performance we have watched we have found ourselves asking ‘what is their question?’ or ‘what is their experiment?’ As a group, we have found the ambiguity of the question a very interesting and exciting aspect of the process. By not directly telling the audience what the question is, we believe it can allow for their own interpretation, just as we have done with the pieces we have seen and discussed during the last week. In regards to Marina Abramović’s piece Rhythm O , we believed the experiment was looking at what happens when people are given compete control and what are they capable of doing when given this opportunity.
Or the various works of Franko B where he has cut himself, in which we though he might be exploring the limits of the human body.
I find it very interesting to see if our interpretations link with the artist’s own driving question and I am very excited to see what the audience will make of our performance. Will they see what we are trying to discover and what our experiment is, or will they take away something completely different?