Formed in 1991, Blast Theory, who are based in Brighton, create mixed reality performance that blurs the boundaries between the real and the fictional. Their approach to performance creates a “blend of art and life within [their] projects” (Govan et al. p.180). Now consisting of Nick Tandavanitj, who joined in 1994, and founding members Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr create “collaborative, interdisciplinary work that is highly innovative in its process and execution” (Blast Theory).
During our devising, we have been influenced by Blast Theory’s style of work. One of their productions that particularly interested us was there 1999 project Desert Rain.
Influenced by Jean Baudrillard’s statement “the first Gulf War did not share any of the characteristics of previous ‘conventional’ wars, and so, in effect, the ‘war’ did not take place” (Giannachi, 2004, p. 116). What we found interesting about Desert Rain was because how the piece wasn’t just a “comment on the war itself, but also as an exposure of the crucial role that technology played within both the making and the viewing of the conflict” (Giannachi, 2008).
Subsequently, after exploring Desert Rain, we have now begun to look at how the mobile phone had been used during major disasters from recent years.
Works Cited
Blast Theory, n.d. Blast Theory. [Online] Available at: http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/about.html [Accessed 26 February 2013].
Giannachi, G., 2004. Virtual Theatres: An introduction. London: Routledge.
Giannachi, G., 2008. The Presence Project. [Online] Available at: http://presence.stanford.edu:3455/Collaboratory/348?view=print [Accessed 26 February 2013].
Govan, E., Nicholson, H. & Normington, K., 2007. Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices. Oxon: Routledge.
By Daniel Roberts