February 2014 – Solo Performance

Colour Psychology.

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Tiffany Abatilda Thompson

Colours can be interpreted in different ways from mood to actions. I want to use the psychology of colours in my solo performance to illustrate my feelings towards that person. However, i may not use the colours for the mood they portray and use them in a way they make me feel. For example, Green is associated with envy, but i might use this as a good positive colour.

In this blog post i will be examining the colours and explore what they represent and how they make me feel.

Red:

Red is an attentive colour, a colour that stands out and most visible. Red is associated with danger and aggression. However, red is also associated with love , strength and warmth. Throughout society we use red for the stop signs on roads and as a signal to stop at a traffic lights? Angela Wright believes that red, “has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its effectiveness in traffic lights the world over”(Wright, 2008). The colour red for myself makes me thing of danger and love, depending on the intensity of the colour. A hard red i associate with danger however, if the intensity is lowered and a soft red appears i associate that with love and warmth.

Blue:

Depending on the shade of colour blue has different meanings. Deep blue maybe associated with unhappiness and feeling cold. The term ‘Feeling Blue’ is associated with unhappiness, hence the term ‘Feeling Blue’. The lighter shade of blue could be associated with coolness and calmness, there’s something very pure about light blue. Wright believes that, “Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration” (Wright, 2008).I associate colour blue as a negative colour, a colour which makes me think of unhappiness and depresseion.

Yellow:

Yellow seems to be a strong colour, a colour of confidence and strength. Wright believes “The right yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem; it is the colour of confidence and optimism” (Wright, 2008). However, the wrong strain of yellow can be seen as a negative effect. Wright states, “the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and anxiety” (Wright, 2008). Yellow is a strong positive colour for me as i associate this colour with summer, the sun and freshness, which makes me happy.

Green:

The colour green can be associated with the environment, and freshness. In society green is the colour for re-cycling, by the use of advertisement we now associate the colour green with the environment. The colour green for me is also a strong positive colour as it also reminds me of freshness and being a favorite colour of mine i associate it with being happy.

Orange:

Orange is a bold colour, also associated with warmth as well as red. Orange is also associated with security. Orange is a strong positive colour. I feel orange is a strong independent colour which portrays strength and independence.

Pink:

Pink being a different shade of red, can be associated with love, warmth and strength. Pink is a feminine colour usually associated with girls. Pink is a positive colour for me as i feel it portrays femininity and strength for women.

Grey:

Grey is a dull colour which reflects a negative vibe. Wright states Grey, “is depressing and when the world turns grey we are instinctively conditioned to draw in and prepare for hibernation” (Wright, 2008). Also, grey is associated with depression and a lack of confidence. We know this as Wright states, “rey has a dampening effect on other colours used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of confidence and fear of exposure” (Wright, 2008).

Black:

Black is a powerful colour. Being the darkest colour, black can be quite a protective colour. The negative side of black is that is often associated with night time and some peoples fear of the dark. Wright states black, “communicates sophistication and uncompromising excellence and it works particularly well with white” (Wright, 2008). Black is a negative colour for me as i see it as a colour of mourning and sadness, as it is a colour of respect when mourning and attending funerals.

White:

White is a pure colour, a colour associtated with pureness and virginity. The colour white is a positive colour for me as i also associate the colour with purity.

During the performance i am questioning whether to put a sheet of information of what each colour represents, or to the leave the audience interpret the colour for themselves. However, as my performance is about closeness and my feelings towards people, i will have to form a chart which tells them what colour means to me so they know how i feel and im being completely honest with the audience.

Work Cited:

Wright, Angela (2008) Psycological Properties of Colours in Colour Effects. [online] London. Available from: http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours [Accessed 27 Februray 2014].

Performance Idea.

Posted on February 21, 2014February 21, 2014 by Tiffany Abatilda Thompson

Performance Idea

After having weeks of trouble with coming up with an idea for solo performance i have finally settled on a idea that i am excited about. Some may say its a bit personal but everyone can relate or take something from the idea i have. It all started when i was having trouble thinking of an idea for a 5 minute solo presentation for the next class, a fellow student interrogated me into thinking about colours and atmospheres i want to create. I finally decided that i wanted to create a performance which challenged and questions the relationship between the performer and audience. Also, to challenge my self and open to the audience about why i can’t get close to people. The idea developed and i wanted to do a piece on closeness and explore how i find it difficult to get close to someone, whether it being in relationships with the opposite sex, or just with strangers and friends in general. I will show this by using colour, music and other forms of media. The composition of this performance needs to be right in order to pull this performance off.

The Performance Space

Thinking about the performance space ia sked myself a question; How do i make the performance space intimate for a one to one performance? The set up of the space is influenced by Marina Abromović’s performance The Artist is Present (2010). I want the Studio to be made smaller and create a booth or a corridor with just a table and two chairs opposite eachother. Within this set up i want a camera behind me filming the opposite chair where the audience member will sit. A question raised whilst developing this idea; How will i make the space intimate whilst still allowing light? I would start and end each performance with the audience member with either a blackout or a white wash, something that is neutral.

Mood and Colours

Following this i then began to think of colours and mood and what colours reflect what mood i felt towards a certain person. For example, The colour Red i assosiate this with danger or love depending on the intensity of the colour. Love would be soft and light as Danger would be intense and sharp. I want to play with the idea of colours and what they represent, to me with how i felt about the person [audience member]. In the performance i would like a section of colours in the performance space and create a colour wheel with colours that compliment and contrast eachother, so that i can play with and express my feelings and moods. In the performance i want control the lights and change them for each audience member depending on my feelings and closeness i have towards them. However, i have to be truthful as the performance wouldn’t be real and honnest if i lied to please each audience member.

Colour Wheel

Credit: Will Kemp [online]

Music and Media

Adding to the composition and dynamic of the performance i want to add in music to the performance to maybe contradict or compliment the mood/atmosphere/feelings. Exploring this idea i question the music that would be appropriate for this performance. As a result of this i would want classical music as it has no set interpretation and doesn’t tell people how to feel. The use of music fills the space as i want to mask the awkward silence.

Following this, as mentioned earlier in the blog i wanted a camera placed behind me which is focused on the audience member and their reaction to me. I would like this camera to be livestreamed onto the Televisions in Zing in order to make the private performance in the studio public for another set audience. As well as the live streaming video i want to provide the audience with a set of headphones which they can chanel into the studio, so they can also channel into the music as well.

The Performance

The narritive of the performance is that i would like it to be durational which would last at maxumimum 2hours, giving the audience a specific time slot to be one to one with me. When the audience member has entered the performance they would be greeted with a fairly neutral light. However, as soon as they sit i would change the colours to compliment or contrast the person in the chair, with my mood and feelings towards them. Following this i would have two pieces of paper on the table which states “I don’t feel close to you because…” and the other saying “I could feel closer to you now because…”. After the lights have been set i would write on the first one and present the audience member with it. After this i would make eye contact with them for the rest of their alloted time, when their time has ran out and the lighting goes back to neutral i would write on the other piece of paper with a response to “I could feel closer to you now because…” and intruct them to pin it up outside the corridor/booth i have created. I would also pin up my first responses on the inside of the booth to present reasons why i can’t get close to people.

Issues

The issues with this performance idea is that it is very tech heavy and some of the ideas might be impossible to make reality. Also, the performance could have fluidity issues, with the concept of the performance and the actuall running of the performance also. I do not want to confuse the audience, with all the different elements to the performance and the concept also. This performance will change and develop throughout the weeks, but i am feeling very optomistic and excited about this performance.

Work Cited

Kemp, Will (2011) http://willkempartschool.com/beginners-colour-mixing-acrylic-paint/ [online] [accessed 20 February 2014].

Solo Performance

The Relationship between the Audience and Performer.

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Tiffany Abatilda Thompson

The auditorium as a performance space seperates the connection and relationship with the audience as the performance space is bigger and the distance between the performer and audience is greater. However, solo Performances are more intimate as they are usually performed in a smaller space and the distance between the audience and performer decreases. Amy Taubin, is one of many practitioners that questions the relationship between the spectator and performer. Performing solo performance the performer is at the center of attention which instantly changes the dynamic with the relationship. Carroll believes, “The audience’s relationship to the soloist is undivided, gratifying the performer’s deepest desires not only to be seen but to be the center of attention”(Carroll 1979, p. 51). The artist is presenting their desires on stage creates imtimacy between the performer and spectator.

Taubin’s solo career consists of 3 performances; Pimping for Herself (1975), Double Occupancy (1976), and finally Performance Which Began With a Train Ride on Which The Rider Realised But Not Till The Last Moment That She had Been Seated Facing Backwards (1978), all these performances question the relationship between audience and performer. Taubin’s solo performances center around the emphasiation the solo as “representation of self” (Carroll,1979, p.). Also, Taubins performances are preoccupied with being seen. In her performance Pimping Herself, she explores this when she presents enters the performance space. When taubin enters she describes each audience member in the front two rows, making the audience an object of attention. Carroll believes “This gesture could be thought of as the actress’ revenge in so far as it reverses the normal relation between performer and audience”(Carroll 1979, p. 52) Taubin is also reversing the attention from her and putting it purley on the audience. Therefore, questioning who is the performer in this particular section of the performance.

Pimping for Herself:

Amy Taubin: The Solo Self, from Noel (1979) p. 53.
As well as exploring the notion of being seen Taubin also contemplates the identity of the female. Taubin’s performance Double Ocupancy explores the female identity. When Taubin enters the space she explains to the audience that she is to enter another room and the audience has the choice to follow her and experience the performance first hand, or to stay in the room and listen to her performance. The text Taubin reads are quotations of Freud that are describing Phallic fantisies. The audience spectator relationship here is different to her previous performance Pimping for Herself, as there are two types of audiences experiencing the same peformance. Taubin is creating a relationship with two sets of audiences.

Double Occupancy:

Amy Taubin: The Solo Self, from Noel (1979) p. 54.

Performance Which Began With a Train Ride… completely changes the dynamic of audience spactator relationship as the audience are light yet the stage itself is completely black, putting all the attention on to the audience. Following this, a camera is set up in the room scans the audience, and presents them on monitors situated at opposite ends of the performance space, again highlighting the audience and making them an object of view but in adifferent form of medium.

Performance Which Began With a Train Ride…:

Amy Taubin: The Solo Self, from Noel (1979) p. 57.

A small element of my final solo performance i want to question the relationship between the audience and the peformer, exploring who is the performer in my particular performance. I intend to do that by having a camera just behind me filming the audience member which will by livestreemed somewhere else in the building. For example, i would like to present their reactions of the private performance and present it on the LPAC TV’s making the private public to anyone who wants to watch. This element of my performance was influenced by Tabin’s Double Occupancy as she had two sets of audience experiencing the same performance but in a different light.

Work Cited

Carroll, Noel (1979) Amy Taubin: The Solo Self in The Drama Review: TDR, 23(1), pp. 51-58.

Performance Ideas, Solo Performance

Obsession and Intrusion: Body Image

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Tiffany Abatilda Thompson

Following the last blog post about obsession’s and intrusions, i feel like body image and weight is amongst this category. I struggle everyday with weight, healthy eating (the lack of), and excising. It takes over my life someday’s and as a result of it causes me to get deep into depression, which causes me to eat more and then feel guilty. A never ending circle that takes over my life. I feel this topic is personal to myself and also is a struggle for many people throughout the country and the world.

There has been days where i have been obsessed with calories, excising and eating barely nothing. Even though i know myself it does nothing to me and is probably even worse for me than eating and excising normally. As a result of this i had a performance idea about my struggle with weight and the obsession i have over it.

My performance idea was to take a picture of my body every single day till the performance which would form a video at the end of the process. With the video projected onto the wall i would have exercise music in the background, with me doing the obsessive exercise i would do when i had down days.

I was struggling to develop this idea as it had no performance element in it and it wasn’t a real honest performance which would be expected with a topic so personal. Now i am back to square one finding a performance idea for the final assessment.

5 Minute Performance Presentations, Performance Ideas, Solo Performance

Obsession and Intrusion: Question and Answer

Posted on February 19, 2014February 19, 2014 by Tiffany Abatilda Thompson

Every person has an obsession, everybody in some way of another wants to know things about people, strangers, friends or family. I wanted to create a five minute solo performance on this.The idea of speed dating and the little time you have to get to know someone to decide whether you like someone or not sparked the idea of questions and the desire to find out as much as i can about one person as i could. I wanted to question the relationship between performer and spectator. Presenting a performance like this questions the relationship as the spectator could be the performer as much as the performer itself as they are both in the performance. Also, Tim Etchells Forced Entertainment performance ‘Quizoola!’ influenced the 5 minute performance i performed in week 2.

Forced Entertainment – Quizoola5 Minute Egg TimerForced Entertainment’s ‘Quizoola!’ focuses on random questions, trivial questions, pub quiz questions and having the performers with clown faces to create a theatrical element to it. However, i wanted to be myself asking questions, not taking on a persona, just being myself and explore if a audience member can open up to me by answering the questions. I want use personal questions, to see if i can really push the audience to see how far they could go. I created a list of questions ranging in personal levels, adding to the performance i created a sense of time by adding a five minute egg timer sound effect. I wanted to see how much i could find out from one person. I chose a fellow student Chris Greenhall, whom i don’t really know that well. During the performance Chris managed to answer all the questions on the list before the time run out. As a result of this i moved on to another student James Barker. However, due to the lack of time didn’t manage to ask all the questions.

The problem with this performance is that not every audience member will comfortably answer questions about their personal life. For example, ‘How many people have you slept with?’ or ‘Who was the last person you kissed?’. As Chris and James where fellow drama students who are fairly open about their life, managed to answer the questions put to them. Another problem is development, how can i develop this enough for a 20 minute performance?

I would need to develop the questions and get some form of composition into the performance. The questions are the main aspect of the performance and would really need some thought. A few ideas developed while thinking about this performance;

Speed Dating set up:

I wanted to set the studio space up with tables and chairs, the same set up you will find when going speed dating. Having the egg timer playing in the background and also having a list of questions on each table. Sitting the audience members at a table with an empty seat opposite them. I would go to each table and find out as much as i can about them, increasing the level of personal as far as i could until they don’t want to answer.

Work Cited:

BLUEBELLINVENTIONS (2010) 5 minutes egg timer [online video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_udhlzdJZ0 [Accessed 19 February 2014].

Forced Entertainment (2010) Quizoola! [online video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGOr-DrXieU [Accessed 19 February 2014].