your thoughts on the nunnery performance :)

hello

if you took part in the (in)visible exchange performance, i hope that you found it a worthwhile experience. as its a temporal piece without any documentation of the actual ive event in the closet, only memories, if you would like to, please leave me your comments, feedback, suggestions, questions, memories, anything relating to your experiences of the performance to help me in developing future work, suggest potential venues, etc.

If you would prefer to email me your thoughts, my email is harrietpoole@gmail.com.also email me if you took the relic images away and have a photo or photo story to share of the images onward journey, i can post your photos and comments if you would like me to.

I am also keen to make contact with those exploring time based media and performance.

love to hear from you! any thing you had to leave a few words about this piece would be much appreciated.

harriet x

ps a few queries about this- to read or leave a comment just click on 'comments' at the bottom of this post, a new box appears for you to read or write your comment :)

Biography for Nunnery show

(in)visible exchange
live photographic performance in the Nunnery closet (durational)
28 February-2nd March 2008

Harriet is a visual artist and educator based in South London. She specialises in creating, teaching and co-ordinating projects within the visual and interactive arts, experimenting with live performance and media arts.

Her current MA work explores theories in the work of Roland Barthes and Tino Sehgal, the first for his theories of the ‘mortality’ of the paper based photograph as an ‘impossible’ record of ‘now,’ and the latter for the fleeting materiality of his art works. Harriet is researching principals of non-matrixed theatre and audience participation through the subversion of time based media practices. She pushes the temporal nature of performance through marrying with the temporal nature of photography, placing the process of image making intrinsically at the heart of an intimate performative experience. In (in)visible exchange, made site-specifically for this Nunnery show, stories told in a closet surface momentarily through a photogrammed memory of objects, referencing those tucked away spaces maybe under the stairs, amateur darkroom in the attic, child’s den, inventors quiet paradise to be able to sit and consider one’s thoughts, make new discoveries, or share secrets. The fleeting exchange of memories between two strangers is, as is the problem with photography, of the moment that has passed. This performance thus culminates in marking this fact through the death of the photographs created, as either to become treasured relics, art objects or to emerge carefully under the door of the closet denoting the end of a period of togetherness as two strangers then leave one another.

Previous work has seen Harriet creating a photographic installation exploring invisible performances in a commercial setting. In Give me a new look in August 2007, she asked shop assistants at stores on Oxford Street to give her a new image based entirely on their perceptions and to photograph with a disposable camera the outfits for her, posed as though requesting them for her partner to see how ‘good’ she could look. Other work has included collaborations fusing her work with other arts practitioners be it creating illustrative or interactive visuals for sound art, music, movement, spoken word. She has had a range of visual commissions including for large scale visual-music-theatre work, Sedna Stories, composed by Kerry Andrew, and a collaboration with voice (acapella group, juice), ensemble and electronica artist Paul J Abbott which premiered in York, in 2005 and then Cargo, London June 2006. This work embodied the theatricality of Inuit folk tales. In July 2006 she created a visual score (film) for silent improvisation for Hausmusik (Claudia Molitor – Klangsieben and Sound Source series for spnm - Society for promotion of new music) In September 2006, she created a film played live to sound art performance Solar Noise Generation (SNG- Ash Sargant -!PLOVA) screened as part of Wormhole Saloon at the Whitechapel Art Gallery London. In March 2007 she created live visuals for Gobsmack, an experimental vocals night at The Spitz, London.

Harriet is heavily involved in visual arts and design education, with a variety of experiences in directing, teaching and collaborating within local and international schools, colleges and communities. She is currently on sabbatical leave from her post as Director of Visual Arts and Design at the BRIT School for Performing and Creative Arts in South London, where she champions interdisciplinary and interactive arts projects.

Harriet has a Foundation in Art (Chelsea College of Art and Design, 1994,) BA (Hons) Fine Art (Staffordshire University, 1997) PGCE Art and Design (UWIC, 1998) and PGCERT: Innovation in Education (Warwick University, 2006) and is currently studying MA Theatre: Visual Language of Performance at Wimbledon College of Art.

harrietpoole@gmail.com
http://harrietpoole.blogspot.com
07900 563631

Please contact me for further information, to comment on my work or discuss it further

(in)visible exchange was developed from an original work in progress idea between Harriet Poole and Laura Smith, Cause for an Action, January 2008.

nunnery dialogue

NUNNERY DIALOGUE- rough ideas- ad lib responding to participants reactions/conversation

Hi there, please come in and stand here near the radio

I’m just going to lock this catch purely so this door shuts, to get health and safety out of the way- in the event of an emergency- this is the only emergency exit - or you just want to leave just push it up and push the door- ok?

Ok- I’ve got something I want to share with you that was once in my pocket- I’ll just put it out and then will share with you a memory

H Put out items, very carefully on the paper

Expose to light

Very carefully put them back in

Were you ever a boy scout or a girl guide? Discuss this for a while- When I was 15 I was a guide, patrol leader of the blue tits no less, real geeky girl with a tight perm, highly competitive, I was the only one who ever ironed their uniform really impeccably or put their toggle dead straight for inspection, I liked to look slick and walk proud, bit of a show off really. I was covered in all sorts of ‘interest badges’ showing my ability to demonstrate the very principles of guiding-helping others and developing communities- in homemaker badge I think it was where I had to demonstrate I could boil an egg and it was too hard for soldiers , and musician where I had to sing carols (very badly) to old ladies round the xmas tree, but still somehow passed.

One such badge i wanted to do was ‘Finding your way.’ Very excitingly, the Guide leader decided to run part of it as an inter-patrol competiton to win mars bars for the whole patrol. Ok, so imagine its 7.30pm on a hot summers Friday night and you are given a map to find a park and a matchbox to fill with as many things as you can- the patrol with the most items and greatest variety in their matchbox wins.

So we get the bus to the park, in our splendid uniforms (mine less creased than the others naturally), matchboxes in our pockets. Upon arrival we meet as a patrol and hatch our plan to get as much variety and of course win (was this ever in any doubt) we split up all over the park- I decided to look around the benches for items dropped, others were in the playground, on the grass, in the tennis courts. I began to make great finds- phone numbers lost, buttons, springs, lovely brooch, all traces of peoples lives that passed through- snapshot of strangers in the park.
As I came to one bench I saw a group of girls sat around drinking and smoking and laughing loudly drinking 20 20 and thunderbirds, they saw me and laughed. I suddenly noticed myself and my measely matchbox and put in deep back into my pocket, ran back to the entrance of the park, onto the bus and back to guides. we won the mars bars, other people only had twigs and leaves, so it wasn’t even a close call. However that was the last guide meeting I went to. The next Friday I went to the park, minus my matchbox and guiding persona and as they say, the rest is history…..

Do you keep much in your pocket- do you have an object to share with me?

Thank you. Now we need to decide what to do with our photographs- shall we display them in the gallery, put them in a bag to take home or push under the door- how do you see our images?
I’d just like to give you this, thanks for sharing (or listening) memories

developing performance confidence through storytelling- CSM stand up comedy course

ok, so big jump into the unknown here, is this the right direction? got to work on presenting myself somehow that is less traditional 'actor', finding a way to develop a performance identity, gaining confidence, so am starting a stand up comedy course in april as an evening class (doug once suggested for me to look at stand up/cabaret after telling my story of my give me a new look piece and think i might now put a toe in the water to find out if its got legs for helping my practice).....kinda thinking quirky visual props, slides, using participants objects/material, telling stories, (maybe inspired by other's slides like in my super heros those trachtenberg slideshow players but working with ideas of fractured stories, spontaneity, intimacy) possibly thinking to the future not as a stand up (!) but as tools and techniques to filter alongside inspirational ideas from the uninvited guests into my own MA practice. the fact that you have to do a show in a central london club seems pretty out there......we'll see

using a blog as a piece of work? the small world experiment

coming from my interests in devising work using participants material, this blog about the journey of jigsaw pieces through sending out to many different people got me thinking about the blog as a piece of work in itself or as a means to generate material to be used within a performance. however it doesn't seem to be that well used- how do you generate interest- what's in it for the participants? exchange of some sort, crediting? dunno, needs more thought.....bartering? aha....

those champions of nrla uninvited guests, used emailing out to liveart mailing list calling for song dedications to be used in their performance, telling through typing, the story about it's connection to a loved one, (with those email participants then present in the resultant performance.) this got me thinking about how to develop a relationship with participants, in sourcing/generating the participants material for the performance/artwork, and then the methods employed to re-tell it- live or mediated experience? me or them or others re-telling?

the small world blog allows for multiple and public audiences rather than the possibility of an email remaining one-on-one although of course it can be multiple but not in this way published online, allowing for comments, dialogue publicly, potentially keeping things fluid in the project, exchanging ideas and developing new possibilities.

The other consideration with public/private is the way that in telling personal story via email it loses the intimacy of the liveness- the physical closeness and use of voice effecting the reception; whispering, shouting etc, and therefore relies on someone else's interpretation or indeed their retelling may generate an altogether different reading.(thinking back here to group project where people played back my skiing accident story and it felt totally removed of the personality from it as it was me, my story.....)

the other thing i quite like is the use of a small box with hidden contents, the expectation of the exterior for its unexpected contents...judging a book by its cover and all....

have just set up a blog for the crystal palace artists collective i am part of, as a space for sharing, collaborating, networking, posting events, who knows....maybe this could be an interesting space for participatory developments...

stuck with storytelling from objects......

from a self help website(!)

(haha its come to this)
needs to be slower, more engaging, colourful, less anxious, put participants at ease....find a rhythm that suits.

nostalgic, comfortable,secure? what's the tone i am setting in this intimacy?

"Here are a few storytelling tips for mental fitness, better relationships, and healthy brain aging:

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 10 minutes Here's How:

1. Get excited Storytelling is a performance and you need energy and enthusiasm to tell a good story. Get passionate, even if it seems silly.
2. Smile You can hear a person smiling. When a person tells a story with a smile on their face, subtle intonations in voice change. If you are smiling, you will choose different words. Remember, storytelling is entertainment -- it should be fun.
3. Practice Pick one story every morning that will be your story for the day. When someone calls or comes over -- you will be ready with your story. Be so excited to tell it that you are just bursting. Your listener will look forward to visiting with you and hearing your stories.
4. Make it Short Stories can go on and on -- keep yours short and punchy. A good story does not have to be long.
5. Lots of Details Pay attention during your day or while remembering an event from the past. Include details like the clothes people wore, how they moved, and what things felt like. Don't say "She seemed upset" say "She had fire coming out of her eyes." Liven things up with detail and description.
6. Use Emotions Don't just stick to the facts, they are usually pretty boring -- tell the emotions you were feeling. Talk about why you felt that way, what memories it brought back. Emotions are always interesting subjects.
7. Have Characters The check-out person, the mailman, the plumber -- all can become characters in your story. Learn to notice and appreciate the wonderful quirks that everyone has. Describe these people, thinking about what they must have been thinking.
8. Don't Think It Isn't Interesting Anything can be interesting if it is well told. Don't worry that no great drama has happened to you lately -- storytelling is more about how you tell something than what you are telling."

jordan's feedback from first nunnery workshop- 5th february

jordan mckenzie came in for tutorials, and as hadn't spoken to him at all before about my work, this was an excellent opportunity for him to give me feedback on my performance without any prior knowledge;

1. liked physicality of the event and watching the paper become visible and then invisible-beautiful experience. should let that moment resonate more- explore greater the notion of intimacy.
2. elicit memory and exchange- be gentler, slower, possible poetic text? give him space to sit with it all for a while.
3. explore and heighten the delicacy of the experience- tipping of the tray.
4. push intimacy- eye contact more, leaning in- how close to go or how close do i feel comfortable with or is appropriate? 'let's share a secret' or make more formal- melancholy of memory
5. had a sense of being in a den- what's materialising together
6. nostalgic-notions of childhood
7. image dying references the impossibility of capturing a memory well, failure of memory to be captured through photography
8. proximity and space will make or break this work-eyes/leaning etc
9. likes the fact that not everyone has the same experience, democracy
10. connections to his own work- traces, how to work with intimacy
11. storytelling- making a mutual commitment, you have to invest as an audience member
12. how do you frame this verbally- be gentler in asking for their story
13. push notion of preciousness more
14. leave out the projector- its two performances in one at the moment
15. sign up through time slots/take people in by hand i have selected from the gallery floor?
16. use card with info-quote-image
17. think about form and meaning to carry weight
18. just put photos on wall not named-really formal-liked pins
19. work on secrecy, seduction,intimacy of the moment- looking away or directly?
20. use my forensic bags for them to take image away rather than pin up?

justine's feedback from second nunnery workshop- 19th february

notes from comments justine (MA fine art) made;

as with each of the participants, i let them experience the work then they fed back to me before we then discussed it

1. i felt like a palm reader- magical aspect, but also too much like a counselling session
2. felt quite intimidating experience, maybe also like a counselling session
3. lab like feel
4. too much performing- needs to be more natural, felt like she was being told a text that had already been repeated
5. tone changed- chatty then story performing- stay natural
6. quiet parts were quite meditative, silences
7. too fast, slow down
8. liked the fact it was a random moment from life, which became a shared moment, familiarity of this
9. didnt think the projection/video was needed- too complicated
10. felt quite exposed 'confessing' about objects
11. temporal aspect lost if recording footage to then playback- think about this
12. found it embarrassing hearing her story again through the video camera
13. liked displaying the photographs

i think this has been the strongest response to the piece, i certainly do not wish to make people feel intimidated and need to consider this more. i felt very nervous particularly on this one as justine has a lot of photography experience which was why i wanted her viewpoint maybe but gave me a better insight maybe to the general public at the show as not a performance student. must work on putting people at ease?

Practising for the Nunnery-darkroom explorations

these were when i had the idea to have digital projector of live feed in with the photogram...but ditched as realised(thank you to all those run through participants!) that it was too distracting with this overall idea- two performances in one as jordan put it!

girl guide interest badge info- to help with nunnery story

Girl guide interest badge Finding Your Way

1. Make a collection of maps and street plans, eg road maps, Ordnance Survey maps, tourist maps, street maps and public transport maps. Look at as many different types as possible. Show your collection to your Patrol and explain when you would use each map and where you could get them from.

2. Explain how to read a map or street plan of your choice. Include information such as scale, grid reference and symbols.

3. Draw a sketch map of the area around your home or meeting place, and indicate whether drivers, pedestrians or both would use the map.

4. Be able to give clear directions to a place in your local area chosen in advance by your Leader, eg local shops, telephone box, place of worship, bus stop.

5. Explain how to find information to help you plan a journey, eg train or bus times. Show how to read a timetable.

6. Plan two journeys using different methods of transport, eg:
• a walk using an Ordnance Survey map
• travelling to camp using a road map
• a city walk using a tourist map
• visiting a tourist attraction using public transport.

7. With a small group (your unit, Patrol or family), undertake one of the journeys from
clause 6. Explain your plans before you go and remember to include:
• the route you will follow
• the approximate time it will take
• who you are travelling with
• how you and your group will keep safe.

8. Once you have been on your journey, tell your Patrol or Leader all about it.

from guiding website

second workshop run through for nunnery 19th february

ok, so this time decided to explore the ideas in the following way;

1. just use matchbox story and slow down
2. projector onto me only (how does this affect the quality of the piece-imbalance too odd?)
3. project onto self-inside pocket (push the temporal)
4. new box with key
5. make it more symmetrical so no one has to move
6. explore siting of the tripod for the camera- less awkward
7. use pinboard, pins, singing onto it for the photographic relics presentation
8. try to relax, be more self, keep focused
9. be more chatty- were you a boy scout/girl guide?
10. question more in feedback the different levels of participation giving different experiences
11. try out new tray for holding images- less darkroom aesthetic
12. both images die in box before displaying
13. talk to participants about environment, outfit, use of satin/velvet
14. test full strength dilution-ok? how does this length of development/death of image feel to the participants?

testing in smaller fine art darkroom with 2 MA, 1 BA, and Jordan McKenzie

Anthony McCall- The Solid Light-hybrid of performance and film

anthony mccall's work at serpentine gallery was described to me as a you-must-go-see-this piece,  by a composer friend. this was in response to me talking about using the technology as objects which begin performing themselves, he thought this solid light piece of mccalls'  was clever in the installation experience enjoyed through moving within a beam of light, the bit normally never drawn to your attention. however, doug was less impressed, saying its been so done before...best then to experience its liveness for myself rather than via second hand retelling or dare i say it, dead documentation of it.

i went to see it and the entrance of a exhibition of process work left me cold- looked like gobledegook token process work (all art students are dying to see an artists sketchbook so lets put them out- couldn't this have been at the back of the exhibition?) and ventured into the first room of more conventional style screenings of film- where you shuffle around sitting/standing/people annoyingly walking in front of you in viewing a projection. can't remember what it actually was though, interestingly. ( i have always hated this method of screening films in galleries, positioned where people keep walking through the image (back projecting where possible?), but even more so monitors so not sure which is worse)

moving into the solid light installation was then the complete opposite- the whole point was to be in the beam of light, and so very refreshing, not to be cinematically arranged with projector there, passive me here- and now we were in an inextricably participatory relationship. less important was the image- although the image curved was shaping the light beam.smoke also hit the beam of light, a naff effect but it was highly sculptural increasing the appearance of the lights solidity.

i loved this piece for many reasons; the interaction and playfulness of activating people in the space to react and interact (although was gutted that was stopped from photographic or videoing this (and who had dictated this- artist/gallery)- if it was in the turbine hall would have been! and was pleased to find sneaky vids on youtube for the purposes of in some derivitive way representing the experience or rather an aide memoire). i loved the solidity broken by a persons head/hands moving in the light, and how this then reshaped the projected light, and when they moved, how it was 'repaired' and solid once again- fleetingly material.

i thought that it would make a great space for a soundscape/ movement performance, maybe some development of the improvisation workshop neil, lena and i did along the crack in the turbine hall could have been situated here, but size of space would dictate the degree of motion and would have impacted on the audience thus more directly, slight repetitive movements  a possibility or holding screen over the beam to sculpt it.

the trouble with this show was when i realised that these digital  solid light installations had roots in celluloid film projected  installations 20 years previously was that i wanted to be able to experience that myself to explore the similarities and differences; the sounds of the projectors, their presence , lines or shapes projected, etc etc. why weren't they included in this retrospective? a great shame for me when in addressing the realtionship between traditional and digital means

my reflections on feedback from first nunnery workshop- 5th february

today went much better than i hoped and the sense of intimacy was realised i felt well. really need to make decisions about using technology to match the idea and not just because i am exploring traditional and digital within my research proposal- i think there is a way but need to think it through. projector more than arkos player. the main area for attention is simplifying the set up, and story telling.

the main problem as with everything on this course and my relation to it is the zero confidence i have in myself being a performer. i now feel very confident about my concepts and use of the visual arts practice and pushing the work performatively, but...me in it will make or break it in the end, or should it be someone else? am i more of a artist-director? still can't get my head round who i should be in the work, be yourself  is told to me repeatedly but i get so nervous and can't relax this feels an impossibility. outwardly and in everyday life  (including presentations, standing in front of headteachers, parents and such in my other life) and my appearance i feel comfortable,  but frame it as performance as i dry up, freeze, panic. need to think more on this.

second workshop run through- set for 2 weeks time, BA/MA participants.

doug's feedback from first nunnery workshop- 5th february

notes from dougs feedback on the workshop experience;

1. liked most the intimacy of the performance, a moment in a private space, working with simple things, objects, memories. liked having an object to focus on when telling story, leading story-pleasing
2. connections resonate with human beings- object to privately tell me, sharing something intimately.
3. emphasise the temporality more, want to see the photogram, see the objects and their residual shadow- moments of wanting to see it develop and then beginning to see it disappear
4. experience was too quick- needs to slow down
5. hand projection- plot out exactly where visually you will be looking- direction and leading of this. guide more.
6. find rhythm more- bit anxious in telling the story, make it more real, how to tell it
7. chose natural pocket objects- equality between you and participant
8. keep it simple
9. rather than hands for projection- screen/card? check audio on
10. box for developer- yes
11. liked idea of treasure chest type box and key
12. do the time counting for exposure together as a ritual?
13. make framing the resulting photographic relic more slick
14. liked naming and signing the image
15. give person object to take away for their participation, a token gift as a keepsake?
16. bag for the photo paper- velvet? how far to remove from the darkroom aesthetic- up to me

lena's feedback from first nunnery workshop- 5th february

notes from discussions with lena post workshop;

1. really liked the intimate nature
2. liked matchbox and ear plugs stories best, things you might actually find in your pocket
3. human stories anyone could have
4. thought matchbox was so sweet, so simple, liked the keepsake idea
5. fun to paint developer on rather than box
6. didn't like changing seats to take part
7. liked torch light- again more everyday
8. understood the temporal nature of the piece
9. using the projector- bit busy
10. liked capturing image but it didn't work overall, competing for attention watching image develop and watching projection
11. thought light from camera and projector were creepy made it seem an eerie experience
12. didn't like the simultaneous recording of action and then projection-is the video camera light enough to solarise the image?
13. box plastic?
14. don't be too natural-just get on with it
15. make the storytelling more sacred- i want to share something with you
16. do i need the projection? processing image enough?
17. simplify projection idea if using it

laura's feedback from first nunnery workshop- 5th february

notes from discussions with laura post workshop ;

laura

1. liked the box with lots of objects, possible idea of assembling things from multiple pockets
2. need to relax people more, put them at ease, involving them more, chatty
3. liked me going first then offering the participant the opportunity to do so or performance ends
4. liked easier to use arkos player rather than the video camera a projector but wasn't sure overall about which was better for the piece
5. liked opening the box and putting the photo paper inside
6. possibly making the box with a key- more like a treasure chest?
7. object in my hand projected in your hand- liked playing with the projection- there but not there
8. halve the dilution- slow it all down
9. move camera above tray?
10. make eye contact to relax the atmosphere
11. sort out cross positions for indicating holding object
12. structure stories more, but not too scripted
13. liked matchbox ending, everything back in pocket, contained
14. frame the conversation more when start
15. more chatty
16. liked act of painting developer on

final outline for 5th feb workshop for nunnery piece

taking everything on board i realised there was far too much in the workshop and to scale it down, come back to some of these things in later work maybe. here are the final situations i decided to work with;

1. exposure - try domestic lamp against torch light
2. vary dilutions of the developer exploring destruction time against story telling time
3. explore the aesthetic of the projection of object into hands, holding carefully, nurturing, against projection of face telling story into hands, capturing the image onto skin
4. explore the increased physicality of the performance through painting on the developer against immersed into a boxtray
5. vary nature of objects i used for my stories- past, present, something i actually own, something planted in my pocket

i also need to really consider trying to replicate the sense of the 6ft x 3ft space in the nunnery closet

schedule;9.30-1pm

set up 2 hours, run with hour blocks lena, laura,doug, they experience the basic storytelling/photogram structure varied in the above ways and then feedback to me,maybe amending for the next participant in light of points made?

Workshop first draft for 5th Feb-Darkroom performance

Developing ideas for Nunnery show


Project title: In my pocket/In your pocket: intimate exchange/change

The aim of the workshop:

The workshop aims to frame my visual arts practice purposefully within performance. I aim to explore ideas common to my Critical studies research into non-matrixed theatre of Happenings, Fluxus and Tino Sehgal.
I will be testing the fusion of performative actions and concepts through utilising time based media practices in unexpected ways. I will be examining how reinventing/disrupting ‘correct’ or ‘usual’ techniques can reinforce/direct narrative and meaning within an intimate performance, and also test differing methods of giving instructions, levels of audience participation, ways of generating narrative. I will work with the idea of what’s kept in our pockets, unearthing the contents of this secret place, the treasured or the mundane.
The objectives of the workshop:
• To explore the disruption of conventional photographic processes through performative actions and projected media
• To explore how instructions for action can be followed as fixed or improvised and fluid- eg. followed in a flow diagram with set and also open ended interpretations
• To explore relationship between rehearsed and improvised(chance), use of self and/or a briefed actor-performer
• To explore the chemistry in the photogram technique-eg speeding up/slowing down the destruction of the photogram and thus impact on the performance duration
• To make purposeful through testing the methodology the link between concept and photo process- why does the image of the pocket object only exist as a fleeting materiality - match object’s identity/story to photographic action
• To explore what happens when multiple endings are possible- not everyone will have the same encounter- does this matter? How does this different journey feel to each participant?
• Are these ‘real’ objects based on ‘real’ life? To explore how narrative is created derived from objects’ history in pockets- and the idea of its story- if it is ‘fictional’, yet presented as real? How do the marks, the scratches, tears etc shape the meaning?
• What’s the relationship between my object and participants object- how ‘selected’ are the objects- plausible item you might walk round with or fantastical. Questioning why?
• To explore different contents of projected imagery to inform narrative- person-place-object itself?, using constructed image-pre-recorded animation, film, photography, or even live action in front of video camera , for example how story of how it ended up in the pocket
• To explore use of the relics of the performance- pinned up on outside of door?
• To explore the idea of co-producers of the work- performer and participant?
• To explore how the narrative is generated. Is the performance in silence or Live narration (me- rehearsed or improvised, with projection) Live (me and participant in conversation) Pre-recorded (audio only or film, stop frame with or without voiceover) How is it presented (projection via multimedia, onto what? Screen, cupped hands, stage, directly from above into processing ’tray’?
• To explore how to empowering the spectator to act- why and how? What do they get out of it? Frame it as a flea market exchange of objects?
• To explore how to centre attention on action and narrative and less on environment, in the construction of the fabricated darkroom space


Some other questions for future work:
• What is the processing tray? A family album with a front cover lid? A drawer from a chest of drawers- ie where photos come to rest. Am I working with ordinary objects in a new context or making props? How theatrical is this experience or framed as fine art????
• To explore ‘set’ for the performance- red light table lamps ‘domestic’ table, etc- or how relevant is a ‘set?’ use a plinth/ darkroom safety lights- more clinical, less referential, and gallery orientated?

• To explore when to use high tech(multimedia projector) and when to use lower tech (slide projector) how does this device shape what’s communicated

• To look at when to use found imagery eg slides over constructed or live.

• Timings of event for Interim show website- How long is this, queue up, set times, deli counter tickets? Throughout the private view and the 3 days?

The schedule: All day Tuesday 5th February 5th, Attic, WCA. Set up 9-11, workshops run 11-5pm.

Participants will enter the Attic in red light and experience a number of workstations exploring different variations (technology, instruction methods, etc) on this basic sequence;
Sequence one: Participant enters darkroom where HP is already inside. HP has an object in her pocket. The object is produced by HP and becomes the initial subject of the performance. Performer along with the participant explores some narrative/ideas about the object through image in some form which includes projection and photogram technique, conducted in silence. A photogram image is created and erased through projection light. The participant is invited to share an object from their own pocket. If they don’t, performance ends. If yes, Sequence two: The new object becomes the material for the performance- variation on the photogram-projection technique in some form. A second photogram image is created and erased through projection light. Sequence three: Participant is either offered the opportunity to exchange their object for the original one or change theirs or the original object in some way, the passover/process of change is marked as a moment through a photogram. Participant either exchanges/changes object and (Sequence four) does a third photogram or the performance ends. At which ever point the performance ends, the object(s) go back in their pocket, either new pocket or original one depending on the pathway chosen.


The technology and skills involved:

Darkroom equipment, multimedia projector, slide projector, pocket objects.
The target audience
Time based media working group in the first instance.
The intended outcome and how it can relate to future practice
This is the first time I will have carried out a performance in a constructed environment myself. I intend to review the feedback to develop the Nunnery final piece.