Author: Nina Woods

Since the facebook discussion (which can be found here) and the development and adaptation of our idea, alongside the feedback from the work in progress we were struggling to think of ideas which would materialise and convince the audience they are in a virtual world. This lead me to look to the work of Blast Theory again, as we had already identified that we found their work influential. I continued to look at their past work to see how they use Multimedia to create their immersive worlds and whether or not they had techniques we could replicate with the technology we have access to.

This first led me to look at a past production called “Ulrike and Eamon Compliant”. Before even reading about what this particular performance involved, looking at the pictures triggered creativity and a further adaption of our performance idea.

It was this particular image that sparked an idea :

The use of mobile phones was always an attraction to us as it meant we could comment, just as Blast Theory do, about our human dependence on technology in the 21st Century. This picture almost looks as if the man on the phone is instructing, controlling or in conversation with the woman on the screen who is quite clearly situated in a different location. It was the latter that triggered a second idea. The woman on the screen is being interrogated and questioned. This got me to that within our performance the mobile phone which is already central within our piece could act as a control device. Paired with the idea of terrorism we could replicate that of a terrorist attack within the cubed space. Instead of doing this literally through the use of the sound of an explosion I suggested that it would be much better to hint at this rather than to state it. Using a sound effect of an explosion would leave no ambiguity as to what is occurring. I felt that it wouldn’t necessarily matter if the audience knew for certain that we were replicating a terrorist attack as long as an atmosphere of panic and destruction was created, this would mean that each member would have their own account of what they were experiencing, directly placing them in the performance and immersing them. The panic would be created through our physicalisation. The space would then turn clinically white to suggest a transformation to a different location.

This continued to develop into the idea that post explosion, the mobile, centre stage would start to ring. This would continue to ring until one of the audience members answered it. If no one answered the phone we would either, in character as a victim of the explosion encourage someone and if all else failed, a coloured spot would appear on the phone. The phone would then act as an instructional device, making the person who picked up the phone the “Hero” (an influence taken from Gob Squad and their delegating of characters). Tasks would then be given to this character to help and calm everyone in the space and this would trigger the ‘interrogation’ part of the performance. Essentially this would be the audience, but specifically the ‘Hero’ interrogating each of us as suspects for setting off the bomb. Each of us with our character biographies would then be part of a devised and improvised performance in a crime drama. With the already clinical white space there is also the potential for it to be transformed into different locations, such as taping the space off with police tape through the use of an image projected on the surrounding walls or a prison cell etc.

Additionally I also suggested the idea of having a camera filming the whole of the cube, acting as CCTV, adding to the atmosphere that everyone can be considered as a suspect.

Pillows that were previously for the sleep mediation at the very beginning of the performance could also be treated as suspicious items or contain items that are then used in the rest of the performance.

The performance could end either one of two ways, with a resolution and someone accused or the opposite. We toyed with the idea of using footage we have already attained of sunset, having orange in the clouds and to this we all disintegrate  shifting back to the dream state of lying down. Proposing our aim of blurring that of the immersive world and reality.

Following on from the raising of this idea we felt it was best to make a written down structure of how our performance stands so far:

Start with dream mode – footage of sky
Then goes to dark. Haze starts
Nightmare, on the grid. Video of Nina sleeping. Total silence.
Phone rings – haze fills room – effect of torches through the haze – live effect -Audience will look like bodies.
Suggestions of previous attacks
Then simulation of attacks – remake ourselves.
Instruction of mobile effect – interrogate us
Questions appear on projection.

After discussing these ideas, I then clicked on another of Blast Theory’s work – coincidentally finding a past project that was very similar but instead focused on the ‘obsession with crime reconstructions’. The production was called Invisible Bullets.

Moving forward from this rehearsal we are all going away to write initial monologues or texts which can possibly be used for the ‘Interrogation’. This will be tested in rehearsal as to whether or not it will be successful.

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Online Citation:

Blast Theory. (1994). INVISIBLE BULLETS. Available: http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_invisible.html. Last accessed 23 April 2013.

Blast Theory. (2009). ULRIKE AND EAMON COMPLIANT. Available: http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_ulrikeandeamoncompliant.html. Last accessed 23 April 2013.

Gob Squad. (2004). Super Night Shot. Available: http://www.gobsquad.com/projects/super-night-shot. Last accessed 23 April 2013.

By Nina Woods