I’ve just reviewed and edited together some clips from one of my performances over the weekend – Interesting to see how it looks from the other side of the canvas…
Performance drawing at Invisible City, Ruimte in Beweging, Schiedam, Netherlands, 4 September 2011 Artist: Claire Weetman This work was supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council Englan
I’ve been home from Schiedam for nearly two days and the momentum for writing the blog has slipped, so to come back to the things that I promised myself I’d write about (and I think that it is useful to do this for personal reflection, but also as a resource to return to when I write my Grants for the Arts Report) here is my account of Day 3 of Invisible City:
Sunday 4th September 2011
Invisible City day 3.
I felt that yesterday’s technical set up was really successful for what I wanted to achieve – i.e. the interaction with the public. The barrier that the screen provides combined with the video projection, the lines I draw and the shadow that my own body casts created a situation where people interacted with the piece.
I had originally planned to hang the stretched cotton panel that I will use today on the back wall – but I realised that it will fit in the doorway and will take a back projection in the same way as the rice paper. I had also intended to move the camera to an overhead position to capture people more as dots on the floor – but I think that this would limit people’s interactions with the work, as it is less apparent that the audience are involved. The camera in it’s current position mirrors the space and catches people’s eyes.
So in order to make today’s drawing a bit different from Saturday’s I’ve decided to include a piece of street furniture. This time it’s a lamppost drawn from my observations in Schiedam. Like Friday, I’ve had to place the image on the drawing in proportion to the size of people on the projected image and my hopes were that people may also interact with this new object that appears to be in this interior space when you look at the surface. on reflection though, I don’t think anyone interacted with it.
I’ve kept the instructions from Saturday’s performance as I think that it worked well: 3 30 minute sessions over the course of the afternoon.
When I start drawing my lines onto the cotton, it becomes apparent that this material isn’t as nice to work on with a brush as the rice paper. The cotton absorbs the ink faster and leaves me with less visible lines, with bleed spots where I start drawing which quickly trail off into dry brush marks. I think that this hinders the drawing a little as I need to keep dipping the brush back in the ink. When I use the calligraphy pen it provides a more consistent line, and I don’t have to make an aesthetic judgement on when to reload with ink – I can concentrate on the interaction with the public. The cotton is also thinner than the rice paper, so the light source from the projector is more visible from the outside.
Today I got some really good interactions with the public – quite a few people really stretching their legs when I ‘m following feet, and someone who made shadow puppets that tried to catch the shadow of my paintbrush. I also latched onto the movements of some of the dancers who were performing in the main space for Adam Nillissen’s work.
I realised that the marks in this piece of work look very much like the drawings I created in my Investigations works in 2004 – horizontal lines, screens, public interaction, these 3 drawings have pulled out themes from nearly all of my past works – maybe it’s just because i’m putting words to it that I’ve noticed, or it could be because the week here has been so intense and interesting.
Today I also took part in the round table discussion about Invisible Cities, but i’m going to write about that and it’s outcomes for me separately.
Saturday 3 September
Today Invisible City is open during the day. 12.00 – 18.00. Today I will work on the rice paper screens that I prepared. They fit into the doorway, and are back projected. I will be inside the room, with only my shadow and the line that I draw as I follow people visible.
I have written some adapted rules for my drawing today, which have changed according to how I broke the rules on Friday.
->Pick up on one point of one person and follow (especially feet and hands)
->If that point is still then do not draw. Wait.
->It is ok to ‘collect’ a different person when they pass a point of stillness.
-> Use grey ink. 30 minutes
->Use fibre pen. 30 minutes
-> Use black ink. 30 minutes
I find that by making the video image/projection more visible from the main hall that people notice how I am responding to their movements more, and therefore play, and adapt their movements more. I can see in the projection when someone realises that I am drawing them. I can sense when they are testing me – they might move their hand, only to find that I am not following the hand, so they move differently. Sometimes they try to encourage me to pick up on that movement. Sometimes I stick steadfastly to where I am following, sometimes I give in and collect that movement and follow them.
The drawing builds up nicely, the japanses rice paper and ink giving the feel of Shoji Screens and Calligraphy.
Friday 2 September – Opening night performance.
My space was prepared with a projector inside the doorway beaming onto the back wall. The picture from the CCTV camera on the outside of the room appears on the brown kraft paper on the back wall. I have prepared the paper, by stenciling a sign post from Schiedam and three bollards – registering the correct size in relation to the projected image was a complication I had not thought of before deciding on this idea.
The opening begins, and Sigal Weissbein performs with the Rijnmondband. I wait to start my drawing until people have started exploring the space – a brass band is not conducive to people looking at the other works.
I have written some rules for me to follow when I make my drawing:
->Pick up on one point of one person and follow:
->If that point is still then do not draw Wait.
->only finish drawing that point of movement of the person when the person exits my view.
->Use Grey ink and white pencil.
->Swap medium with every exit (alternate people)
->Draw for 45 minutes. Stop. Break.
->Draw for 45 minutes. End
My notes following the end of the performance:
Need to follow feet more
Interesting how exposure to dance made the work feel more of a dance especially when the ‘partner’ was aware that they were taking part.
Following hands encouraged people to move/interact more
Very biased to R.hand side of paper because of position of doorway.
My steps felt more dance like – especially use of ‘stalking walks’
One person (Marieke) drew a smiley face.
Some rules I broke:
Sometimes I ‘collected a different movement/person when they passed a point where I was still.
Sometimes I changed the person I was drawing because the surface does not allow the ink to bleed.
I also used black fibre tip pen to create more contrast
I swapped media when required – this was an aesthetic judgement.
I only drew for 25 minutes during the second period (the audience had moved to an outdoor performance.
I’m writing this account a few days after the event, although the notes I’ve shared above were written at the time. With a little distance from making this drawing, I can say that I was happy with how it went at the time – I think that I have made some improvements to the process in drawings number 2 and 3, building on previous works and methods. However, I like the result of working on the brown paper – I’ll do it again.
Two days have passed since I last blogged – and in regarding an event that only lasts 3 days, that’s probably not enough.
It has however been a really good 2 days and I think I want to record more information through this blog than I should try to squeeze into one post. So I will break it down into sections (more for my own benefit and reflection than for yours) and then i’ll revisit the sections over the next few days and also when I get home.
Things I want to record here:
-On making instructions – overlaps between dance and performance art/interventions
-How each performance went and the results of that
– Ideas about process and product especially concerning temporary happenings and how I deal with that in my work. Including my concerns about how others see my output.
– Information about other artists works and how they have turned out for the public event.
– Conversations i’ve had with other artists about ‘what their job is’ – which reminds me of Emily Speed’s interviews with artists she met during her residency in Linz.
– about the space that we are working in, and how the shadowing cities team have brought it together – all the added extras that make this an event rather than a collection of artworks
Briefly though, I’ve made 2 drawings, both using projection, live feed and audience interaction. I’m happy with the process, and the results. I’ve met and spoken to a wide range of people (dancers, performers, artists, film makers, choreographers…) and feel that being out here for a week, concentrating on what I do, discussing it with others has consolidated some of my ideas about my work. I have ideas that I want to follow up on when I get home; drawings I want to make.
Tomorrow (Sunday 4th) is the final open day of the event. I plan to make a 3rd drawing and I am currently mulling over whether or not to include street furniture as a static point in the drawing – I think I have decided that I will, I just need to work out what to use to draw onto my third panel which is white cotton.
I’ve also been invited to take part in a ’round table’ conversation about Invisible City, so i’m looking forward to that. – that’s another post I’ll have to write!
