Following the decision to make our Multimedia Performance a piece of immersive theatre, the idea arose of using the technical grid above the auditorium. People would be lying on this grid acting as a birds-eye view of watching people lying in bed asleep. It would; however be the reverse as the audience will be lying on the ground looking up at the grid, acting as a mirror image.
Queries began to arise about health and safety and risk assessments about whether or not it would be possible to have part of our performance on the grid. However after consulting with the technicians of the LPAC they gave us the go ahead with the warning that strict guidelines would follow about what we could specifically do up there. These included health and safety guidelines such as what we can and cannot wear as clothing and that a maximum of three people per square. We felt this was manageable and we could coincide with these regulations as we only intended on having a maximum of three people on the grid, in separate squares.
With the guarantee of using the grid we proceeded to experiment and test how figures and images would look on the grid itself, examples can be seen below:
Videos:
This first video shows it from an audience perspective as they will be lying on the floor looking in front of them and then their attention will be shifted to above them, laying, looking up at the grid
Experimentation on the grid using a cloth:
Shadows:
Projection:
These experimentation’s were very beneficial to us as it brought about the idea of incorporating shadows into this aspect of our performance. Previously we only considered using projections up onto the figures on the grid. However, by pure chance when watching the other members of the group it appealed to us that a mixture of projection and shadows could both be used. Perhaps the projection suggesting dreams and shadows suggesting nightmares due to the lack of identity they provide.
We continued with this idea when we began to choreograph a routine for when members of the group are on the grid.
Video of beginning of routine:
Choreographing routine:
The routine:
By Nina Woods
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