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.