The costume was nude trunks. The set was a clear stage with a plastic incubator attached via strings. The sound was Twist by Thom Yorke. The apparatus was Aerial Straps. The lighting went through 4 stages and, there was no make-up, for the most natural-human look.
Costume.
My costume was simple skin-toned trunks and a dance belt, highlighting physicality, the human form, and birth. This allowed my whole body to look more ambiguous within the plastic at the beginning. Whenever I was in the plastic with clothing on, it stood out clearly which I did not like. Once the lighting shifted to green, my whole body took on the green light also, which supported the aesthetic further.
Set.
The set was clear so that I had ample space to move to the maximum possible distance while tethered. This also framed the beginning of the piece making me the sole focus.
Sound.
Twist by Thom Yorke was my chosen song. Give it a listen below, or follow the link to the image above for more.
This song has a beautiful, repetitive, and alternative rhythm that resonates with me as I sense growth from it, followed by a harmonic voice that develops with my movements. I generally love most of the music Thom Yorke creates and am heavily inspired by his music for its slow builds, intriguing beats, and soft vocals. Further to this, his entire album 'ANIMA' was featured as a short film on Netflix where I gathered more movement and sound inspiration.
Previously, the song I was working with was called Gossip by Lyra Pramuk, however, after presenting an early performance to class with this song, I instantly felt insecure with their reactions, referencing cum and condoms - so I changed it!
Previously, the song I was working with was called Gossip by Lyra Pramuk, however, after presenting an early performance to class with this song, I instantly felt insecure with their reactions, referencing cum and condoms - so I changed it!
Apparatus.
One of my specialties at NICA is Arial Straps and this was the apparatus I decided to work with for this project. I chose Straps to push myself outside of my comfort zone because I haven't performed Straps to an audience with good sound and lighting before. I still need to greatly refine my 'in-between' movements on Straps where I can look tired and staggered at times. I am pleased that I decided to stay tethered for the duration of this piece, however, in future I will be working to make all of my transitions far smoother.
The color Green is significant in this act because that is the color of my straps apparatus which influenced my middle/main lighting state too. Green is symbolic of life and growth which is why it was used within consciousness.
The color Green is significant in this act because that is the color of my straps apparatus which influenced my middle/main lighting state too. Green is symbolic of life and growth which is why it was used within consciousness.
Lighting.
My lighting was set up in four stages to represent the birth, growth, and consciousness cycle. Starting with Rear C spot lighting slowly fading in over 1 minute 4 seconds - internal awareness. Transitioning to FOH inside at 1 minute and 4 seconds - external awareness. Going green with LED left and right lighting at 2 minutes 13 seconds - consuming to exist and later accepting existence. And finally fading back to Rear C spot lighting - finding resolve.
All of these lighting states supported the work in creating the atmosphere and mood of the piece. If I could do it again, I would have a performance run-through with lights and sound to make sure I'm ready for all the changing states.
Props and Rigging.
The biggest and only prop I've already analysed in detail is the plastic incubator. The purpose of this prop was to be symbolic of birth and a constraining of consciousness. I was initially drawn to this idea by how it obscures one's form and blurs the shape and clarity of those inside it. Researching on Pinterest made me want to explore this idea too. I feel like I made some strong images from it, but the performative work wasn't as strong and still needs further refinement. I had much trial and error with it and the strings as I lengthened them for a future performance so that I had more give with the plastic. In my first run, the plastic tore too early because I created far too much initial tension.
Tim was assisting me with the rigging. We created four states of rigging to match the work. First state at chin height to allow small movements. Second state above head height to allow skills. The third stage is well above head height to allow for a big spinning skill called 'Flare'. And the final state was a full lower down, in unison with the fading out lights. I had Tim assisting me so that I could show a more developed act that didn't require as much wrapping with the Straps for smoothness.
Tim was assisting me with the rigging. We created four states of rigging to match the work. First state at chin height to allow small movements. Second state above head height to allow skills. The third stage is well above head height to allow for a big spinning skill called 'Flare'. And the final state was a full lower down, in unison with the fading out lights. I had Tim assisting me so that I could show a more developed act that didn't require as much wrapping with the Straps for smoothness.