Intimacy

The Importance of the Face; in terms of Emmanuel Lévinas

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Demi Morrison

There is a large amount of literature based around the face and the reactions it creates for other people. Emmanuel Lévinas is one of the main writers on the topic of the face and this relates directly to our performance due to the complexities of the questions it encourages the audience to ask. Lévinas argues that “[t]o expose myself to the vulnerability of the face is to put my ontological right to existence into question. In ethics, the other’s right to exist has primacy over my own, a primacy epitomized in the ethical edict: you shall not kill, you shall not jeopardize the life of the other.” (Lévinas, N.D, p.24). This represents the importance of the face and the ‘other’ in relation to you. If you are prepared to acknowledge the ‘other’, then you should be prepared to give ownership to them. A face will ask you things that are never voiced, whilst still ensuring that you are offering yourself to them. To look into someone’s “face[,] is the other who asks me not to let him die alone, as if to do so were to become an accomplice in his death.” (Lévinas, p.24). After reading Lévinas, you are able to question things such; is my existence my own? Or does it belong to the ‘other’ when they look into my face?

I personally do not like to rely on others too much and therefore it is difficult for me to try and comprehend that I am technically only ‘alive’ when being viewed by another person. Our performance encourages the audience to question these philosophical issues without actually stating this.

Lévinas’ work is based around the writings of Martin Heidegger, who argues that to be fully alive, you must understand and accept death. It is my understanding then that Lévinas’ and Heidegger’s work put together gives you an insight to the ‘other’, the face, death, nothingness and existence. I believe that most of these aspects of their work are indeterminable as they are absent from our sight. To physically see something is to understand it. Can you point out what ‘love’ or ‘fear’ is? No, you can only point out actions that are socially accepted as forms of ‘love’ or ‘fear’.

These are details that are now included in our performance. Allowing someone to sit and hold hands with a stranger for any amount of time, is giving them a chance to explore the existence of the ‘other’ and the socially acceptable actions of this stranger. Is it ok to kiss somebody you do not know? Socially and culturally, this action would be frowned upon, or it would at least raise questions because it is not something we do.

As performers, it is us, asking the audience to give us their time to sit, kiss, cuddle and hold hands with us, therefore: are we taking ownership over their existence; are they taking control of ours, or is it both? This performance has caused me to ask a lot more questions than I expected. In the beginning, our ideas were too complicated for us to complete and so we stripped back the idea and took it ‘back to basics’, however we seem to have resulted in a performance that is more complicated philosophically.

Work Cited
Lévinas, Emmanuel, and Richard Kearney (N.D) Dialogue with Emmanuel Lévinas. In: R. A. Cohen ed. 1986. Face to Face with Lévinas, Albany: State University of New York Press, Ch. 1

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The Script

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Demi Morrison

Developing the Script – Demi Morrison

Leanne and I worked on the script for the piece together during a meeting. We wanted to words to be very succinct as we did not want anything to draw away from the intimacy and the main concept of the performance. We realised that we needed some scripted dialogue as, despite the performance being influenced by the audience, we, as performers, needed to guide the performance to how we want it to be.

We decided as a group that the lines had to be short and therefore we began with “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind sitting/holding hands/cuddling/kissing (with) me just for the sake of it. With no reasoning/intention behind it. I just want to feel/be intimate with you”. After experimenting with this idea, we decided that what we had was a little too much information for the audience to be given. Therefore, as a process of development and elimination we ended up with: (for the kissing scene) “I was wondering if you would mind kissing me, just for the sake of kissing. For as little or as long as you want. I just want to be intimate.”

We realised during the development that we needed to give some indication of time to the audience and because we all agreed that it should be up to them to decide. This is why we included the line: “For as little or as long as you want.”

There are little aspects of the script which have been modified for the different stations in the performance as they do not make sense without it. However, ultimately we want the spoken parts to be as similar as possible to help built this trust with the audience, and so that they can begin to expect what will happen after the second one to one performance.

Delivery – Leanne McKettrick

Now having the script in place, we needed to do a lot of work on the delivery of these lines. The dialogue we have created is all that is spoken to the audience during the performance, and it is these words which help the audience to gain insight into what they are about to partake in. Due to these factors, as a group we agreed that the script highlights to the audience the essence of our performance and what we are trying to achieve, therefore the emphasis on the delivery was very important.

We felt the delivery needed to suggest intimacy to the participant. However, we did not want to do this in a way which would make the audience feel uncomfortable. It is vital for the audience to feel safe, in order to build them up to the final encounter in the performance. Therefore, we decided to the delivery of these lines should be calm and relaxed, almost as you would talk to a friend, but due to the content of our work exploring intimacy, with a hint or a promise of something more.

Due to the fact, we could be seeing numerous people during the day we highlighted the importance of making sure that each time a new member of the audience came to take part it we need to say the script as if it was the first time. Ensuring our delivery is kept fresh is another important factor in not only helping the participant to feel comfortable, it is also vital in building them up to the last section of the piece.

To effectively do this, it was important that we as performers were comfortable in what we were saying. In order to gain the audience’s trust and to have an intimate moment with them, it is imperative for them to see a truth from us and to believe what we do actually ‘just want to be intimate’. As discussed previously, each of our sections are what we are performers are comfortable in doing, as a result of this we hope that the delivery of these lines will express a truth to the audience because it is something we are committed in ourselves.

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Music for 18 Musicians

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Jordan Edward Tallis

Researching into sound was quite a challenging area as we did not want to influence the intimacy explored in the performance. We moved away from the idea of emotive sounds and pushed towards more minimalistic textures, structures, harmonies and dissonance.

We looked into various experimental and minimalistic sounds such as Phillip Glass and Steve Reich. Steve Reich composed one piece called ‘Music for 18 Musicians’ which consisited of 18 layers of instruments and vocals.

cello
female voice
female voice
female voice
piano
piano
piano and maracas
marimba and maracas
marimba and xylophone
marimba and xylophone
marimba and xylophone
metallophone and piano
piano and marimba
marimba, xylophone, and piano
clarinet and bass clarinet
clarinet and bass clarinet
female voice and piano

Its important to consider that the use of different instruments within this piece creates a different quality, and through combining these different instruments creates thick contrapuntal textures.

The piece itself is based on the cycle of eleven chords and lasts for approx 55 minuetes. The sound itself creates an atmosphere that is easily forgettable. The use of this track is mainly just to fill the silence that resonates around the studio when there is no action occuring. This essentially means that the audience is led to focus on the intimacy created in the performance rather than the aesthetics framing it.

Posted in Jordan Tallis, Performance, Rehearsal Process, Research | Leave a comment

The Introduction to the Performance

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Demi Morrison

The performance is going to have an introduction which will hopefully depict what is going to happen and what the audience needs to do. We decided as a group after meeting with our supervisor that we wanted this introduction to be similar to that of a gallery exhibition.

We want this piece of writing to entail the basics of the performance, without expressing to the spectator what our experiment fully is. This needs to say that the person, if they wish to take part in the performance, is required to start at Jordan’s station, move on to Jess’, then Leanne’s and then mine. We are hoping that the audience member will have built a level of trust with us as the performers and hopefully by the time they reach my station, they will be more inclined to take part.

On the aesthetics of the introduction; we feel that the writing should be typed, stark and very concise in what is actually written on it. For the colours, we want just black and white and in regards to the stand, or what the introduction will be stuck on is debatable at the moment for what we can access. We were thinking either a lectern or a music stand. We will be using a music stand to begin with and then we will know whether this fits with the aesthetics of the piece or not.

This idea then was modified greatly as the introduction we had, was too simple and did not offer the audience enough of an insight to the performance. After the teach rehearsal we realised that this introduction had to encourage the audience to question the depth and the concept of the performance without asking then basic questions such as; Can you be intimate with a stranger? We were advised to create a piece of prose that was poetic and influenced the audience’s thinking whilst participating in our performance. What we all decided on was:

The hands, the fingers, the skin, the face and the lips.

All these aspects of the human body can lead you to question your existence, your emotions and the way you react to an ‘other’.

If you remove the masks, the make up and the shells that we, as humans, hide behind, are you left vulnerable?

Are you responsible for the ‘other’ if you acknowledge their existence?

Are they responsible for you?

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One to One Responses

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Leanne McKettrick

Although our performance is a group performance, it is set up as a series of one to one performances in which our question ‘What is intimacy?’ is explored. While each of these performances are experimenting with the same questions and ideas, these are each done in a different way and because of this different approaches have been taken by each of us. Each section is equally important, but the emphasis is on the last step of the audience’s journey through the ‘path of intimacy’, in this section the audience are asked by Demi if they will kiss her. The emphasis is on this section because it requires the most trust and for the audience to give a little more than required in the previous sections. Therefore, it is important that the sections before this help build up the audience to this moment.

Jordan Tallis’s Response

I was wondering if you would mind sitting with me, just for the sake of sitting, for a little or as long as you want. I just want to be intimate.

In my one to one encounter, I was to explore intimacy through sitting down next to someone. In everyday life, we sit next to people we know, we sit next to people who are strangers to us, whether it’s in a classroom, on a bus or even in a living room watching the television. Either way, sitting next to someone is a very repetitive moment that we are at times conditioned to as human beings. Society operates to maintain order in our behavior. However on a bus sitting down next to someone is not always the case, for if we have an oppurtunity to not to sit next to someone we will take that oppurtunity not to. Whether it is a level of trust one has with a stranger or the concept of being able to be more comfatable in a seat by yourself, it all comes down to what the individuals reasons are.

Population increase and other economical concerns, is humanity gradually becoming a lot physically closer because of these cultural, economical and social changes? Are we becoming a lot more intimate? Are we at times forced to be intimate because of overcrowding. My experiment is to explore a range of intimate moments that might be created sitting down with someone, and whether a slight touch from the leg or shoulder has a profound effect on creating connections and warm intimate feelings. Because our performance is like a journey through intimacy which is a gradual build up and breaks certain intimate barriers, leading up to very intimate moments.

It would be important to consider because I am the first performer that the audience will interact with, my delivery of how I ask them to sit down with me is crucial in making the audience feel welcome and comfortable. To smile and ask them in a way to how I naturally would, possibly could create some real intimate moments that feel real and emotive.

During the development of my one to one, I felt something was missing. Experimenting this idea with people allowed me to realise that there were a lot of missing things in the performance that would be beneficial in creating some real intimacy. The first time we had experimented the idea, I could see my audience member kept fidgeting and eyes rolling around the room. It was then I questioned that maybe we would need something to hypnotize or something that would aim to stop eyes from wondering, an object of some sort that would not so much pull away from the intimacy created but would be used to stop awkwardness. It was then someone has suggested using a larva lamp, it then clicked and felt that would be a perfect object to use in order to hypnotise and even give my own one to one character and quirkiness.

It was also important to consider the positioning of chairs and whether having chairs either side to side or opposite would affect intimacy. I felt that having chairs side to side created a lot more dynamic and real intimate moments. We can sense and feel that the other is there without having to gaze at them through eye contact, I also found eye contact at time became to similar to the idea of Marina Abramović’s work with the Artist is Present.

Jessica Smith’s Response

I was wondering if you would mind holding hands with me, just for the sake of holding hands, for a little or as long as you want. I just want to be intimate.

My section is the second stop along the path of intimacy and I will be exploring the possibility of creating intimacy through holding hands. The way in which we set the room out is important. My two chairs will be angled towards each other with a gap in the middle where our hands will meet. There are many different intimate situations in which people would hold hands, it could be a parent and child, friends or lovers. However, I will be trying to create these feelings with complete strangers. As the first stop along the path is just to sit with Jordan and then mine involves direct touching, this could be a big commitment for some people as they may not feel entirely comfortable with it. This then means that I will need to put them at ease. One way that I can do this is through the way that I speak to them at the beginning. I will keep my voice soft and even to show that I am comfortable with the situation and so that I do not intimidate them.

Whilst I am holding their hand, if I sense any awkwardness, I will need to resolve it. There are a few ways in which I will do this. Firstly, I will not stare at them but instead I will occasionally glance at them. I feel that staring will put too much pressure on them and not looking at all will seem ignorant and as if I am oblivious to their presence. This is not the way that we want them to feel. Another technique that I will use, to erase any feelings of discomfort, is to simply stroke their hands. I feel that this shows intimacy towards them which will then show the warmth that I will feel for them. In turn, I am hoping that this will make them feel more at ease.

I think that what we actually say to them is just as important as the manner in which we say it. The fact that we ask them if they ‘would mind’ shows that it is okay if they do not want to partake and that they can say no if this is the case. Then we tell them it can be ‘for as little or as long’ as they like which tells them that they can get up whenever they want, whether it be after ten seconds or ten minutes. We also tell them that ‘we just want to be intimate’. It is important that they know why we are doing this just so that they can have an understanding of what we are doing and so that they have no suspicions. I think that the whole speech will help them to relax into the performance as it explains exactly what we want from them in just a few short sentences. It is clear and simple. It also shows them that they are in fact the ones in charge as they can go as far down the path as they like or they can just spectate if they want. This will hopefully make the experience more enjoyable for them.

Leanne McKettrick’s Response

I was wondering if you would mind cuddling me, just for the sake of cuddling me, for a little or as long as you want. I just want to be intimate.

In my one to one encounter, I was exploring the intimacy involved in a hug. This is a gesture that is not always considered intimate; you hug friends, family members, you sometimes hug peoples you aren’t even that close to. It is used often as a greeting or a goodbye. It is only with a partner that the hug or the cuddle becomes an intimate gesture. My experiment was therefore to explore ways in which this level of intimacy through the hug can be created with a stranger.

Before, any action takes place, first I speak to the audience asking them if they wish to partake. For this speech, I made a conscious decision to say ‘cuddle’ rather than ‘hug’. The reason behind this is because I feel the connotations behind cuddle imply to the audience something which is more intimate than a hug.

In the first rehearsal, I placed two chairs side by side and when the audience member came and sat next to me, I would say my speech, sat down, and then we would cuddle, sat down. This simply didn’t work, the action seemed far too awkward and because of this any chance of creating intimacy was hindered. Therefore, a different approach was called for. In the next rehearsal, I decided after my speech was said to stand up, asking the audience member to join me, in which I would then cuddle the person. Although, this was an improvement, there was still a moment that didn’t work. After a rehearsal with Wes, this was revised and the second chair was taken away and I would stand as soon as the audience member approached my section. By standing as the participant arrived, it not only worked as a polite greeting, but meant that after my speech was said no time was wasted before the cuddle, and the action could take place straight away.

When it came to the cuddle, I felt that there was a certain way this needed to be done. As the one stating that I want to be intimate, I decided that when I went into the hug I would rest my head against the person’s chest and wrap my arms tightly around their waist. The aim was to present a kind of vulnerability on my behalf, in a way highlighting to the audience my need for intimacy. I also felt this way the audience were given the power of the relationship, hopefully this will empower them ready for the final step of their journey.

Demi Morrison’s Response

I was wondering if you would mind kissing me, just for the sake of kissing me, for a little or as long as you want. I just want to be intimate.

My one on one encounter with the audience involves the art of kissing. I am exploring whether or not a spectator will feel comfortable enough with me as a performer by the time they have reached my section of the performance to kiss me. I ask the person whether they would mind kissing me because I just want to be intimate with them. The importance behind this experiment is to determine whether the audience will do something so intimate with a stranger, without the stereotypical intention behind it such as; lust or love. I feel that this is a vital part of the experiment as a whole because it is the most extreme action we ask the audience to do.

On the surface, the performance is very simplistic although it does have an important message behind it. I think that, despite my encounter just asking the spectator to kiss me, it encourages them to question the intention behind the action of kissing. Should a kiss be something that is kept to a private encounter with someone you love? Does kissing have to be restricted to someone you care about? People often use a kiss as a greeting, especially Europeans, so therefore it is an action that can be used in many different forms. My intention behind the kiss is to have the audience member kiss me for as long as they are capable, without the lust or love behind it. I want the person to leave the performance questioning what they have just done and whether it was acceptable or not.

During the first few rehearsals, I, as performer, had to find a way to overcome my own habits; where I feel awkward kissing someone I don’t know, passionately or not. I experimented with an audience of my peers, which was not a particularly beneficial idea as I could not be comfortable with kissing them. A small peck was fine, but what I am essentially offering the audience is a lot more than that. I had to work out which angle for the chairs would be best to offer myself and the ‘other’ equal ownership over the action. I settled on having the chairs faced diagonally towards each other. The next thing to work on was the delivery of the line and how I began the kiss. To begin with, the group helped me test what would have if I just closed my eyes, offering the spectator more control, and leaning into what would be the kiss if reciprocated. This didn’t work particularly well and in the end, we settled on the idea of having me reach out to their face, offering physical contact and still a way to back out of the kiss. I then proceed to look into their eyes, occasionally looking down to their lips, whilst slowly inching my face towards theirs. This lapse in time allows the audience to question what they are about to do and whether they should do it or not. However, hopefully by this point in time they will already be dedicated to fulfilling the performance.

My main worry for my section of the performance is that the audience will essentially be full of my peers. It is not ideal as there is a certain amount of decorum expected between friends and acquaintances; however this is out of my control. Some people may surprise me however. I do ultimately think that this experiment would be much more effective in an audience filled with the public from random places as I think that I would have a better response when asking people to kiss me. Although this is the main worry I have for my own encounter, I do think that the concepts behind the performance will still stand and questions will still be asked in the end.

Posted in Demi Morrison, Jessica Smith, Jordan Tallis, Leanne Mckettrick, Performance, Rehearsal Process | 1 Comment