Site in the City Installation

The past week we have been really focusing down on the Site in the City project. 

Talking a walk around the city I came across the Castle in Nottingham. I hadn't visited it before and when I was walking outside along the wall, there was somebody practising singing inside, (maybe for a performance or something). This reminded me about the scene in the story of Cinderella and Ash Puttel. With this I then decided to look at the scene in the story where the protagonist is given something special, ie - Cinderella, where the Fairy Godmother gives Cinders a dress, a coach and coach men. I then began to look at what we, as 20 year olds remember about the story, and the magic scene was what was most mentioned. 

I then decided to look at what we actually remember. As well as what kind of objects or imagery we associate with memories or stories.

This then lead me to picking up a pumpkin, ivy vines and choosing to place it outside the castle. However with Halloween just round the corner, I thought this will just remind people Halloween is drawing in. So my next thought was to come up with a way in which to make people think a but harder about what a pumpkin and vines, placed by a castle is actually there for. 

To do this I decided to create a 'RESERVED' sign, as in it was reserved for Cinderella by her Fairy Godmother. 

I also added a bit of glitter to the piece to make it more interesting, and make people ask a few more  questions. 

The first place I had originally chosen proved to be ineffective. This was quickly learnt as I realised people didn't walk round the entire way, they seemed to stay one side of the area more. This then meant I moved the piece over to under a tree in a open space. 

Here the pumpkin gained a lot of views and some people taking photo's with it?

Not sure why. 

Asking people who had spotted it and had gone in to take a closer look, I asked what they thought it was here for, what it might mean and what it reminds them off. 

Out of the number of people I asked about 7 of them understood it completely, but were unsure as to whether it was what it was therefore. The uncertainty was gone however when I explained my idea to them. another 3 people didn't connect to it completely but as soon as I confirmed or explained they then understood and retold the story to me to make sure they were right. There was only one person who did not connect to it at all and it turns out they had never seen the Disney film, read the story or a stage production.

Over all I think it worked out fairly well, it has also given me more confidence about my own work and I feel more confident in myself and my work to do it again or try out new ideas. 

Charlie Peace and Bamboozle.

Ritual:

Bamboozle

·  Healing

           - Relaxing

           - Drums

           - Helper

           - Initiates - Not directly involved

    ^ Shamanistic like experience

           - Sensory Stimulus

- Water

- Meditating

- Pure / Honest

( Not conventional western medicine)

In Bamboozle the children were introduced to new objects, a new object was only introduced by music and the sound of the drums. (Which was muted, this made it less introducing and harsh.)

Water was used as cleansing in bamboozle, to entre the dream. This gave the sense of  a clean start to a story.

Performance/ Audience Relationship:

Bamboozle

· Music used to connect to the kids

· Pillows; hugging/ blankets as a sense of comfort and familiarity

· Performer being alive to the moment, reacting to the kids, seeing if they want to be hugged by the pillow, if they accept it. If not to performer moved over to the carer to show the children that it was ok and safe.

- Teaching new techniques to the carers to use later.

· Only trying to connect with one person, their eye contact

· Before the performance, the performers engaged with the children, learnt their names and introduced themselves to the children to create a relationship with them.

Charlie Peace

· Broke the fourth wall by entering the audience and interacting with them

· The genre of the play was based around the 19th Century tales

- Music Hall

- Mellow Drama

Object and Design:

Bamboozle

· Pastel/ Natural colours

· Simple and beautiful set

·  - Don’t think they quite explored the set, the items and it’s movement.

· Anthropomorphism

· Dream like, soft items

· Shadows

· Intermit

Charlie Peace

· Not well incorporated in the space

- Projection was very illustrative

- Actors were not always lit properly

- The circle moulds on the roof were moulded into the set, se when other projections were used, it didn't fit properly

Time and Space:

Bamboozle

· Look through the child’s eye’s

           - Creating their world

· Journey of ritual welcoming engagement of pillows (in character), the sling (the character), of lightness and the bird object which was developed through movement of flight.

· Dramatic structure rather than narrative

· Like a den for children

· Kids were allowed to think differently in the space

· Closed and intermit

· Patient atmosphere

· Took us into the world of the audience

Charlie Peace

· Confusing time era

· Costumes weren’t helpful in passing across the idea of time and age

Image, Light and Sound:

Bamboozle

· Gong—introduced to the kids to relevance the sounds

· Calming and soothing music

· Kids were fascinated with objects and there shadows

· Feathers and lateens

· Sign language was used when ‘thank you’ was repeated

· Simple structure

Charlie Peace

· Dim lighting

· Sometimes, depending on where the actors were on set, they were not properly lit

· Projection

Narrative and Structure:

Bamboozle

· In the Round

· Entre the dream —  In the dream —  Wake up from the dream

· Floating and flying types of feelings

Charlie Peace

· A non– chronological series of events

Examples of Art Installations

Street Installation Art

http://billyphenix.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/neozoons-street-installation-art-about-fur/


http://charlottesfancy.com/2012/08/14/origami-street-installations-by-mademoiselle-maurice/


http://www.fadwebsite.com/2013/02/06/3d-installation-street-art-from-a-common-name/



http://www.twentysomethingtestdummies.com/twentysomething-test-dummies/2010/4/18/the-little-people-project-a-tiny-scale-street-art-installati.html


http://www.visualtherapyonline.com/?p=5922


http://www.visualtherapyonline.com/?p=3800


http://www.visualtherapyonline.com/?p=25754

Giles Croft and Micheal Eaton: Charlie Peace

I had never heard of a Charlie Peace, never knew anything about the famous criminal so to be perfectly honest, when I first walked into the auditorium and saw the set I was slightly confused. The flats which were on the side of the stage however gave a bit of information about Charlie Peace. For me I found them useful because it actually meant that I got a better beginning understanding about what I was going to watch.

I struggled to follow along, I got completely lost in the time era, the costumes and to be really honest, the set. I didn't understand the set, it was sort of like a mini stage on the actual stage. The audience could see the cast moving props and tables about on stage. The curtain was a bit of a problem, because I was sat in the middle of the auditorium on the ground floor I was able to see actors moving around behind it. This wasn't a big problem but it was something I couldn't help but notice. 

So the master class was actually really really useful for me. Being able to listen to the director's and the writer's thoughts and feelings towards the play was inspirational as to how passionate the writer was about the character Charlie Peace. Listening to the writers thoughts behind the play and how he researched the history of Charlie Peace and the idea behind the 'Travelling Show'. 

After listening and asking questions to the writer and director I got a better understanding of how they tried to approach the style of the show. The set was designed around the idea of a travelling show. Using a moving stage, taken around to fairs and circus' to put on a show. The Idea involves a rough, old look which looking back at the play I think was visible. I think the only problem was the costumes. They were too pristine to connect to the idea of the travelling show, they should have been more weathered down to link in more, following on with the idea that it's travelling and well used costumes. 

The master class really helped me with understanding the show and the idea around it, making more sense to me than when I had just watched the show.

Traditional Jewellery.

For Prince Amir it is easy to think of luxury whilst reading the story. Another reason as to why I think of jewellery is because Price Amir is being pressured by his mother to find somebody to marry. 

This is stated when Princess Zehra says to Amir: 



Turquoise stone : Energies : Luck, Love, Protection and Healing.

Ruby Stone: Energies: Love and Healing.

Emerald: Energies: Love, Prosperity and Healing.

Sapphire: Energies: Power, Love and Healing.

( http://crystal-cure.com/ for the stone colour energies.)

I have researched into jewellery that is traditionally worn at Indian weddings and my research has shown me the style which is worn. 

Golds metal is often worn with jowls of a certain colour. 
Rich colour such as the ones mention above are often used. The colours are rich and the jewellery can be very extravagant. 

I looked into a few different websites to look for extravagant jewellery which I could use for Price Amir's item. 

I have decided to use a ring as the symbolism I wish to use to explain Prince Amir. 
The reason for the ring, is to link in with what is expected of him, his mother wishes for him to find a bride, so she throws a Ball in which all the eligible girls are invited. At the beginning this ring appears to much as Amir isn't comfortable with himself or the land in which he lives. I don't feel that at the beginning of the story he is ready for marriage and seems to immature. However towards the end, once the Ball has finished and he has danced and fallen in love with this mysterious girl does he face his problems, over come he Sins that to process him he then commit to Ash girl and the ring becomes something that relates to him more.

Themes and Imagery of fairytales

Carol Ann  Duffy - Collected Grimm Tales
Philip Pullman - Grimm Tales for Young and Old

Little Red Riding Hood - by Philip Pullman.
Imagery:

• A little girl who was so sweet and kind, that everyone loved her.
• A little cap made of red velvet.
• 3 big oak trees, and there's her house, behind a hedge of hazel bushes.
• Sun beams dancing
• Began to snip open the wolf's bulging belly.
• Oh Granny, what big ear's you've got!
• All the better to hear you with
Granny, what big eye's you've got!
All the better to see you with
And Granny, what big hands you've got!
All the better to hold you with
And oh, Granny what great big grim ghastly mouth you've got - 
All the better to eat you with.

Themes:

• Immaturity
• Naive
• Easily persuaded and influenced
• Trust
• Death

Little Red Cap - by Carol Ann Duffy

Imagery:Imagery:

• A delicious little girl
• 3 big oak trees, her house has hazel bushes near it
• Sun beams seeming to wink at her
• Little red cap
• Oh Granny, what big ear's you've got!
• All the better to hear you with
Granny, what big eye's you've got!
All the better to see you with
And Granny, what big hands you've got!
All the better to hold you with
And oh, Granny what great big grim ghastly mouth you've got - 
All the better to eat you with.

Themes:

• Whit
• Naive
• Death
• Trust

Cinderella - by Philip Pullman

Imagery:

• A rich man, whose wife became ill
• Good as gold and as meek as a lamb
• The snow lay like a white cloth over the grave
• Shabby grey dress and wooden shoes
• Hazel tree
• Two white doves
• Dress the colour of starlight
• Silken slippers
• Wiry hair
• Dress the colour of moonlight
• Dress the colour of sunlight
• Sisters best features - being shapely and well formed
• There's blood in the shoe
• Blood dripping from the slipper
• Much to dirty to be seen

Themes:

• Envy
• Jealousy
• Sacrifice - the sister cut their feet to fit into the shoe.
• Naive
• Love
• Death

Asputtle - by Carol Ann Duffy

Imagery:

• Dark time
• Snow put down a white shroud on the ground
• Hearts as ugly as thorns

Themes:

• Death

Research | Ever After: A Cinderella Story 1998

'Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved her father very much' is how most fairy tales begin. This one however begins with an elegant old lady, talking to two young men, she proceeds to inform them of the 'real story' of the glass slipper. 

Cinderella is a strong character, not meek or polite as we would probably expect in this film. Drew Barrymore, plays Danielle de Barbarac, is smart, polite, loyal and strong. In fact the first time she meets the Prince she infers that he is 'arrogant'.  A very different meeting than Grimm and Walt Disney's interpretation. Although it does have a slight playfulness to it Cinderella is more witted and far less 'girly' and 'meek'.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/368802656955259065/

 The Prince is put across to us quite differently again. He is introduced quite early on, he is the one who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, slightly accident prone. One main aspect of this film that interests me most is that the Prince seems to be as big of a character as Danielle de Barbarac (Cinderella). Regular fairy tales seem to introduce the Prince later on in the film, show him as a small part of the story and he is really, properly shared with the audience once the female character grows as a person and realises she can do things for herself, instead of for others. 

'Ugly Step Sisters', 'tweedle dee and dum' as some have referred to them as, are slightly different from what we would expect. For example in this story there are a few variations for the stories we all might have heard  1. they aren't ugly, 2. they are as thick as how they are portrayed in the books and 3. they aren't the same in personality, one is more sympathetic and kind whilst the other seems to have gained all the jealousy and 'ugly' heart. Marguerite is favoured by her mother, perhaps this is why they are different in personality. Jacqueline is a fresh relief for this story, she appears to have a better understanding than her sister and even her mother. Jacqueline isn't blind to her mothers actions, she appears to be a bit sympathetic to Danielle. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/182818066094579696/

I feel that the way in which this film has been taken is rather enjoyable, I enjoy the twist on the classic fairy tale. It is stuck in a time zone however which I feel that Walt Disney's version isn't restricted too. I love the concept of this Cinderella and think it is a good balance to the character. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/442337994621474419/

The pictures are not my own, the links as to where I found them can be found below the pictures as a hyper-link.

Shamanisim, Masks and Origins of Theatre

Shamanism, Masks and the Origins of Theatre.

Kurdish Mask and Puppet project 2010
http://vimeo.com/16660047

Q: Why use masks and puppets? 
        - People can relate and take something in which is more abstract.
        - Children have no problem's accepting masks, they just want to touch and try it on.
        - Pre-intellectual thinking, no language is really need to understand the mask and the character.
        - We, as adults think too much - Is this right? How do I do it? What should I do?

What does a mask mean to ...

Society: Rituals, brings and binds a society together.
                Establishes rules.
                Spiritually and practically.

Individual: Belong/ part of a society.
                Feel accepted.
                Survival.
                Shapes all purpose of life 
                Dealing with the known and unknown.

The Rice Ritual appears to have influenced the mask created and used for the Interlude Play, the symmetry, shapes and simplicity.

Origins of Theatre...

'Theatre grew out of ritual'

Anthropological Theory...

- Late 19th Century to the early 20th Century.

- Theatre Grows From:                           

"Rituals, based on

seasonal cycles of

growth, death and ressurection

in nature."

Shamanistic Theory...

- (ET Kirby)
- Mid 20th Century onwards.
- Theatre Grows From: 

"Ritualistic healing,

where the 'perfromer' 

cures the patient

whilst in a trance state

possessed by spirits."

Performance Theory...

- (Richard Schechter, Victor Turner)

- Theatre Grows From:

"The propensity of humans to 'perform'

whether to 'achieve' profound or spiritual things

or to 'entertain' the community."

Q: What is a Shaman? 

     - 15 to 20 thousands year old figure of a community.

     - A shaman is a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits, who typically enters into a trance state during a ritual, and practices divination and healing.

                                              ^ Wiki .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism

    - A central figure of a society.

"Knowledge", "Power" and "Master of Spirits".

IDEAS: Sculpture/ Installation for Prince Amir

I think that one of the main moments and part of The Ash Girl is the way in which The Royal family feel in there new home land. 

This quote from the book by Price Amir depicts that the family, or a least Price Amir feels like an intruder in this land:

The Price is a stranger in a strange land. He has been forced to flee his country because of a political situation. His mother wants his to marry a local girl, but Price Amir thinks his neighbours are all too white. 

I feel that his struggle with moving to a new place, being thrown into a new culture and having to get used to it, is something he seems to struggle with. I get the feeling that his relationship with his mother is ok but I don't believe that there is really any sense of authority. He is easy swayed by the Seven Deadly Sins which he comes across but learns to not be so easily manipulated.  

His emotions through the story, go along with the Seven Deadly Sins and only at the Ball is he truly happy with where he is and he feels welcomed, this is when he meets Ashie. 

My ideas about Price Amir are as followed...
- Scared.
- Unwelcome.
- An outside to a culture.
- Worried about the people of the land not liking him or his family.
- Easily swayed by the SDS.
- Determined to find the girl who's foot fits the slipper.
- Courage.


For the scuplture, I feel it important to show the Forest in which he travels into to find Ashie. The forest has been used a lot in fairy tales as it gives the sense of fear and death. Although none of the characters actually die in the play the idea of the death of hope, really shout out to me. Ashie loses the shoe she has in the forest and could be lost forever. However both Ashie and Price Amir go into the forest willingly and confidently that they both find what they are looking for even with the Sins gathering intent on processing them. 



Things I think about which relate to The Ash Girl story and Prince Amir...

- The Forest - Dark, Impending, Death, vulnerable to the wild, Young, Lost, Dangerous
- The Sins - Angerbird, Slothworm, Pridefly, Envysnake, Greedmonkey, Lust, Gluttontoad and                          Sadness. 
- Downward spirl.
- Haunting and dead.
- Scary and Gloomy.
- Two different people, parallels coming together.
- Colours.
- Sins and miss guiding
- Family & Friends
- Confusion
- Hope 
- Luxury
- Diminishing

Peter Farley

Anthropomorphism.

The assignment of human shape and attributes to gods, animals an inanimate objects.

Attributes and Signifiers:  Shamanistic.

- Cave paintings where the first sort of anthropomorphism, hunters would create painting of animals that they hunt, giving them human like features such as  face. This most like was because the hunters desired the strength and power of the animals that they hunted.

-Shamans worn the skin of an animal so similar reasons, to gain the power of the animal and process the magical powers.

Attributes and Signifiers:  Symbolic.

Jean Berain, mask maker: Late 17th Century.

      > Not wanting to become the mask but just to wear it.

Nicholas Remisoff
      > Costume of a violin.
      > Tragedy of the Cello.  
      > 1927 

Attributes and Signifiers:.. Embodied.

- Traditional Pantomime.

- Actor becomes the animal/ inanimate object.

- Completely embodied.- Beatrix Potter - Jemima Puddle Duck. 

- Royal Ballet Tales of Beatrix Potter.

- The actor is complete enclosed in the costume and then acts as the animal and character.

> Costumes need to be light, the animal heads especially. 

> Made of stage gauze, which allows the actor or dancer to see through when dancing so they can see where they need to travel to.

Jean Hugo, Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel, 1921

Costume for a Lion

Costume for an Ostrich

Ferdinand Leger, 1923

Referential:

- refer to the animals or objects that you are trying to convey.

- Research and using observational drawings study the characteristics of the animal/ objects, to get a better understanding of the animal/ object.

E. Mcknight Kauffer, Checkmate, 1937.

Black Queen costume

       - Signified mostly in the headdress.

Marie- Jeanne Lecca, The Circle

Julie Taymore and Richard Hudson - Giraffes from The Lion King.

                   - Actors being the animal.

                   - Whilst eh lions are more puppets.

John McForlane - Mice and Frog for Cinderella - Birmingham Royal Ballet.

       - Studies/ drawings - Look much deeper and harder. Observational.

- Comeli, 1906 - Runner Bean Costume.

- Wilhelm, 1884 - Sallow Costume and Goldfish.

Attributes and Signifiers:  Metaphoric.

- Paul Edwardo - Papagena and Papageno, The Magic Flute

- Marie- Jeanne Lecca - 2008, 

                                          2009, The Crow and Falcon

                                          2013, Lulu

                                                       ^ Human body drawing with a picture of an animal head that suits the character.

(White act on Ballet.)

-Terry Bortier

       - The Swan of Tuoneic

- Robert Alsop

- Marie Bjonson - Cunning Little Vixon.

- Peter Farley - The Ox, From the Year of the Pig.

- David Collis

-Colin Richman

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo... http://www.trockadero.org/

Q: What are the character's doing on stage? (Working within the costume.)

Q: What is Grimm saying to me?

Q: How can I relate it to today?

Q: What is the difference between Anthropomorphism and puppetry?

        - Often used in panto's

        - Joey from /Warhorse'

                      - Puppetry - External puppeteers/ animators.

Q: How do you want your costume to be read/ interpreated?

        - Water colour - Decay (=more energy in the drawings.)

Q: How does your performer feel in the costume?

        - Restricted in their movements? 

Q: Where abouts do you want to draw the line?

        - Embodied

        - Small pieces of symbolism such as pig noses?

Q: Is it funny? Is is Serious? Is it dark?

Q: What is around today What do we wear to imitate animals/ things?

        - Cocktail party. - Peacocks?

        - Latin Skirts? - Savannah grasses

Richard Arm

http://www.castingabout.co.uk/Home.html

Today Richard Arm came in to talk to us about different methods and materials which are available for moulding around objects and even people to make props or masks.

There are many different types of mask making and object moulding, lots of different materials can be used to create shapes with. Richard Arm taught us about the materials that you can us for a particular type of casting and how the process of making the object works. There were a lot of things that I never knew about or had seen before and I felt that the lecture was really useful to have and I am looking forward to the skills week were we can put this into practise.

Here are a few ways of making moulds:

• Skin mould
• Multi-piece
• Open mould
• Split mould
• Clay and pressure
• Vacuum form
• Plug mould

Types for casting: 

• General
• Clear 
• Gel