I have an observation that actually arose from last semester's (spring) work with Aunts. It has occurred to me to divide the performance work we have been creating into two groups--work that fits into the category of "images" and work that fits into the category of "scenes".

The way I define an "image" is this: movement, tableau, sound, etc that has the quality of presenting unchanging information.

I define a "scene" as: movement, tableau, sound, etc that has the quality of presenting a series of substantially different pieces of information, moods or actions.

These are tentative definitions and are open to revision. In our work I've noticed both of these categories and it has been interesting to watch how I respond as an audience member. In both cases the aspect of "time" seems to be unrelated... an "image" can last for ten minutes and a "scene" can take place in thirty seconds.

An example of what I mean by an image-Aunt: BD's Laughing Butcher Bird. This Aunt had three main elements of shuffling feet, laughing on the floor and the jungle soundscape. At the time of the performers falling to ground the first time, the audience had basically received the "information" of the Aunt, and what came after was a repetition of the same event [which was, of course, delightful!].

An example of a scene-Aunt: EL's Grooming Two. In this Aunt I observe three significantly distinct phases--the partner grooming, the couple interacting with the groomers and finally the groomers dragging their partners toward the upstage corner.

Please observe that these categories are not absolute. Even within an "image", change occurs and within a "scene" we find moments of images. Maybe we can look at these definitions as ends of a continuum with a lot of room for overlapping.

My sense is that these definitions may be useful in our process of setting and structuring material--setting lengths of time, deciding which Aunts go next to other Aunts and being clear on the information we are offering to our audiences.

Please feel free to respond with your own opinions and insights as my ideas are just budding and would appreciate the company of more well-informed flowers, like yourselves.

aspects of Change

I found this pie chart on google images when I typed the word change. I like to do that, type one word in and see what comes up. Tonight, after I got home from our brunch, our gathering to reflect on and talk about what is happening in our culture, I got afraid. Full of fear...which Is a red flag for me, so I thought about why I am feeling fearful, I think it is about moving forward change, the inevitablity of change, and what that means, as we evolve as a culture...how do we keep the preciousness our what we have started with...it reminds of me of the feelings of sadness for material that has been left behind...how real that is, how true it is that we are forging ahead...so I saw this chart...and the title of it is "aspects of change" there is people, which I think would be each of us individually, then there is the culture which is our group and the processes of this journey we are on as a group and as a whole.
There may be fear, but I am a Y.W.A.I.T--Young Warrior Artist In Training...and if I can just keep going forward and being present and telling the truth of where I am, I believe that it will be ok. The progression of our culture, the huge leaps it feels like we take, the integrity can still live in that, with a lil bit of trust and fearlessness. That being said I exhale a sigh of relief and gratitude for the time we are spending together. I am very grateful to be a part of this culture.

thank you all for the lovely nourishing
Laurie

already taste......talk and I....right tongued

What will the bread pudding taste like tomorrow?
Will I make it to the bread pudding and quiche?
Will it go like I think it will go.?
(me in the car, following the lefts and rights..clip,,clip..entering the place.pressing the code..tada! being there. Like I am here pressing the keys and like I was there , kissing my hand , laying on the stump...)

And you all
(will you be there wearing colors?..bringing quiche and vegtables...?will we talk all together with excitement and will we talk into the deeps? will the bounderies soften like they sometimes do?)

.........Something .
I am responding to the discussion about words in the space--I inhabit space--talk and sing and fly and feel into the space in a brave way .I fight a little struggle..(.grrr..ruff! ) and a few tears...(living is so sad.and CONTRADICTORY!)..then I can rest and be and listen and RELATE THEN I CAN MOVE IN AN HONEST WAY. It is luxurious to go through this clumbsy HUMAN PROCESS.(.messy ...discursive) and including and inviting it AS the art. I think this happens when I sit to meditate too. AND half the time I want SO much space and silence.......so I can FEEL the illiopsoas or right part of my TONGUE...And (now I remember that dumb beings can uncover enlightenment the same as smart ones and silly people and mean ones too). OH there is RoOm for All Of uS. Because all of us IS.

(this is what I am thinking -- with - out a lot of formalism. It's Saturday night after all)

What about december third. could we offer cider?
we could pour it DIRECTLY INTO THeiR HANDS! (thumbs and all!)
that would save some trees.
ha!
LOvE,

Delight

Last Monday we took such delight in creating AUNTS....one after another, they emerged from space; the space in our minds and the space in the room. These carry-overs of images delight me. The return of Cara talking about 'wholesome' and being asked by Damaris to put on the green bonnet and old fashioned dress (I know that was from before), the request of the monologue about 'garbage and compost and recycling', and of course, our signature mythology, geese on their backs. This is the organism weaving and creating patterns.

Since our culture is being created to make performances, and we have the 'gaze' in the room now regularly, yet the infamous December Third Evening with maybe 30 people including the Director of the MFA Program in the room is different. What is the difference? Does the arrival of a more traditional audience stimulate our culture to a new level of presentation?

Can we cobble together both new AUNTS and returning AUNTS and still keep our minds-hearts open to something that has yet to appear?

Can we begin to call in other elements like lighting? Someone wanted to change the lights this past Monday....it's the first time that impulse arose. We have some props....the basket of stones, the 3-legged stool, and some costumes, the green bonnet and old fashioned dress. We have the boom box and some sound environments.

Our 'deSoLAtE/deLiGHt' project is getting defining features!

“Commenting"

I have been very interested in the reoccurring question in improv of how we as performers deal with text in space. Is text truly an element that can possibly be part of a natural hierarchy (where elements arise to the forefront as they are needed, and do not dictate the focus)? more on natural hierarchy For example, during our solo quad work there will be four people up, doing solos, specifically choosing not to take influence from each other, and it seems that we can keep those solos discrete even with a soundscape playing. However, as soon as spoken text is introduced, it permeates the space, and it is quite challenging not to be influenced by it. Yet there are times when text seems to support the space, the improv, the unity of the whole, and other times that it seems to be distracting or uncentered. I believe somehow this has to do with “commenting”. Just as movement choices can be commenting on a situation, and not actually in it, or as Miriam suggested, can be a “cop-out” of the form, I believe that sometimes text can be used that way too.

Intrigued by our discussions of recycling of materials and sustainability in our art making, I came across the following sentence from a Zero Waste Site, “Instead of managing wastes, we will manage resources and strive to eliminate waste”.

Perhaps sometimes with our use of text there is a feeling of “wastefulness” that comes about? How can we be as conscious (without being self conscious) about our text? In the same way we think about speed, duration, influence, imitation, or color, texture and variation on a theme with movement?

We have a website!

The idea is that archival information and research documents related to the project will be hosted at www.desolatedelight.bravehost.com!

'Talking' together about this World

So much has happened. Our first wonderful supper together around the fire, and our conversation/salon about 'sustainability'. The field of our knowing is wider for all this! I crave these deeper conversations together.

And then this Monday Evening we began another conversation.....Damaris created an AUNT from Cara's talk the week before. This is a kind of development of the 'system'. Our world talks together. We listen to one another and answer through the process of creating AUNTS. We build upon what we experience. We use everything that we experience in the Monday Evenings as inspiration. We re-use. We recycle.

We don't throw anything away. And also we let go of what needs to be let go. Is this a contradiction? Suzuki Roshi in 'Zen Mind, Beginner's MInd' talks about pulling mind weeds and then burying them next to the best of plants. Letting the garbage transform into black gold. We let go of what blocks the flow....and we use these blocks as images, events, AUNTS, musings, rants......

How do we start shaping AUNTS in the foreground with an AUNT in the background? I want to have a long AUNT, slow and in another time with many events beginning and ending around it, in front of it, behind it.

We have some recurring props (the stones in a basket, the 'musing ' chair) and costumes (the bonnet and the dress). Where to they reside? Are they always present in the space?

And what about our basket of AUNTs already offered?