In a dark space, surrounded by the audience, three performers stand at the edge of a harsh circle of light, equal distance from each other facing the centre. There is a complex soundscape of dreamlike ambient music with hints of the outside world, cars, trains and birdsong among the montage of sounds. The soundtrack is also the cue for a sequence of actions.
The performers ‘play’ one character who is caught is a series of repetitive actions that changes when an ‘outside’ sound interrupts the music. The performers move around the perimeters of the circle of light. In slow precise actions. Eventually ending up in the same place they started.
This piece explores how behaviour seen, and experienced affects how we see the world and how others see us. Based on the Bedlam the asylum in London where ‘lunatics’ were imprisoned. In Victorian London people could pay to watch the inmates strange and baffling behaviour.
In a dimly lit space, enveloped by the audience's gaze, three performers stand on the periphery of a stark circle of illumination, equidistant from each other and facing the central void. A sophisticated soundscape engulfs the atmosphere, blending dreamlike ambient tunes with fleeting echoes of the external realm — the hum of cars, the clatter of trains, and the melody of birdsongs interwoven seamlessly. This orchestration serves as both backdrop and catalyst for a meticulously choreographed sequence of movements.
The trio embodies a singular character entrapped in a loop of repetitive gestures, each cycle evolving only upon the intrusion of an 'external' auditory disruption. With deliberate slowness, they navigate the circumference of the luminous domain, executing each motion with exacting precision, culminating in a return to their initial positions.
This performance piece delves into the intricacies of how our observed conduct shapes our perception of the world and influences others' perspectives of us. Rooted in the historical context of Bedlam, the infamous asylum in London where 'lunatics' were confined, the narrative draws parallels to the Victorian era spectacle wherein the public could pay to witness the peculiar and confounding behaviours of the institutionalised.
This piece explores how behaviour seen, and experienced affects how we see the world and how others see us. My own particular version of OCD – for example the obsessive checking of the locked front door to a point sometimes of paralysis is the background to this piece. One of the major attributes of dance is repetition which is why this work resonates with the activity of dance.
In a dark space, surrounded by the audience, three performers stand at the edge of a harsh circle of light, equal distance from each other facing the centre. There is a complex soundscape of dreamlike ambient music with hints of the outside world, cars, trains and birdsong among the montage of sounds. The soundtrack is also the cue for a sequence of actions.
The performers ‘play’ one character who is caught is a series of repetitive actions that changes when an ‘outside’ sound interrupts the music. The performers move around the perimeters of the circle of light. In slow precise actions. Gradually and in perceptively the lights dim slowly, even when the lights are almost completely out, the performers continue to shuffle, an ongoing loop without a narrative, remaining unresolved. It does not end, it just stops.
This work is highly influence by performance work in the 1970’s Station House Opera, Theatre of Mistakes, Yvonne Rainer, Trisha Brown and also The work of Samuel Becket
The questions are about how we navigate the world, particularly people are on the edge of the spectrum in terms of behaviour. And how we often find ways to hide our conditions and differences to enable us to fit into society. The assumption of this piece is that it will probably be relatable to the majority of people, but usually something unspoken and not acknowledged.
