Author: Lacey Cole

Pussy Riot

Lacey Cole / / Cultural Terrorists, Inspiration, Research

Whilst considering costume and props for our performance piece, we came to the realisation that in fact some elements of our piece could be likened to that of feminist collective, Pussy Riot. Having decided that balaclavas would be a great statement against 1920’s era flapper dresses for costume, it dawned on us that we had seen something similar on the news in relation to the Russian group. Pussy Riot is known for their provocative performances in public places, similar to those of Lone Twin, a collective from which we have taken great inspiration. More recently, however, Pussy Riot has been widely spoken about on the news, due to the arrest of some of their members. There is now an ongoing campaign to free the women, which is discussed in the below video.

 

Currently two of the members are in prison on charges of ‘hooliganism’, after a performance inside a church during which they condemned the re-election of President Putin in 2012 whilst wearing brightly coloured clothing and balaclavas. This idea of guerrilla-like terrorism is something that obviously has influenced our piece, however whilst Pussy Riot uses their statement clothing and music to portray a very political message, it is our hope that the construction we are creating will lead to something more of a personal realisation for those who view it. Instead of outward discussion of others, we want people to think about themselves and really connect to their roots in terms of their personal historical influences. In this way, whilst connecting to Lincoln as the root of piece, we also want to bring in our personal histories as it were, with the realisation of a building that is effectively the centre of the largest city in the United Kingdom.

pussy riot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pussy Riot band members

Author: Lacey Cole.

Lone Twin

Lacey Cole / / Cultural Terrorists, Inspiration, Research

Having settled upon an idea and concept for our piece, we thought we’d explain more about the group from whom we took inspiration, namely, Lone Twin. Whilst reading about Lone Twin and their works in Making a Performance, we were interested to read that many ‘artists may also clearly identify themselves as outsiders within a space’ (Govan, Nicholson and Normington 2007, p.125). Being that we ourselves are not ‘locals’ in the traditional sense of the word in Lincoln, it becomes interesting to consider our place instead as strangers, in the Gallery as well as the city itself and its history. Instead of just focusing on the history of the site, we have decided to combine our own histories and city (London) with that of Lincoln. By making our ‘otherness’ obvious, we hope the audience will also be compelled to think about their roots and history.

By effectively sneaking London into the Gallery via a sculpture, costume and a soundscape (fingers crossed), we hope to make the locals and tourists to the area consider their own histories differently. We are not locals to Lincoln, but neither are we complete strangers to the area, and Lone Twin seems to confront this idea head on, with the concept that the artist ‘is both from here and not from here’ (Govan 2007, p.125). While we live in Lincoln, it seems our time here is limited to the three years we will spend on our degrees. Thus, Big Ben and the chimes of the clock are doubly appropriate as it signals both us running out of time in Lincoln as well as the history of the Usher Gallery. We plan on incorporating the chimes of Big Ben into our soundscape along with background noise similar to that of a busy street in London.

Lone Twin have done numerous public pieces, including one entitled Walk With Me, Walk With Me, Will Somebody Please Walk With Me (2002). Throughout the piece, the group ‘remains sensitive to the stories that constitute that space’ (Govan 2007, p.126). This idea seemed central to the thesis of site specific, and also intertwined with our previous knowledge of Lone Twin as a group that moved from space to space whilst considering the ‘placelessness’ of the artist, which we felt related to us personally. As we have previously discussed, we want to include elements of modernity with the history of the space, in keeping with the site specific practice. Considering these elements, Lone Twin seemed perfect as a group to take inspiration from.

Street Dance

Lone Twin’s Street Dance

Author: Lacey Cole.

References : Govan, Emma, Helen Nicholson and Katie Normington (2007) Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices, Oxon: Routledge.

Artistic Statement

Lacey Cole / / Cultural Terrorists, Development

While it seems we have moved away from our original first ideas, there are still some components we have previously considered that will be included. Instead of performing in the Collection, we have chosen a room upstairs in the Usher Gallery. We still want to connect the history of the site with modern elements found elsewhere, but have chosen to focus less on Lincoln and rather on our own history and roots. With that in mind, we have drafted an artistic statement relating to our new idea.

“It is our intention to smuggle our personal culture into a historical city, in order to juxtapose our ‘otherness’ with the narrative of the site. In order to do this, we plan on creating a sculptural model of Big Ben to signify our personal history. Within this cultural context, we also hope to include sound and costume that will strengthen our aim. By moving certain elements of London into such a cultural space, we hope the audience will be encouraged to explore their own history within an incongruous site.”

Elements to Consider

  • What sort of soundscape shall we use?
  • What sort of costume? Shall this relate to our personal culture or the Gallery?
  • How can we signify London clearly?
  • How long do we want our performance to be?

 

Author: Lacey Cole

First Ideas

Lacey Cole / / Cultural Terrorists, Research, Space

Having looked around the space and had a chance to feel comfortable in both buildings, we have had some time to think of possible ideas for our performance. Interestingly, Susan Bennett’s book Theatre and Museums focuses on the link between acting and where a piece is staged, for example a museum. Being that we have a chance to perform in The Collection Museum, I found it interesting to note that ‘museums traffic mostly in material designated as representing the past, while theatrical performance takes place resolutely in the present’ (Bennett 2012, p.5). Obvious as this may be, this confronts the idea of our performance being ‘site’ specific, and whether this means we need to focus on the history of the building. Is it instead possible to make a modern element the main feature of our performance and simply touch on the history of the building? In this way, we will still have free theatrical reign and our ideas may be able to flow more freely.

Whilst considering this, we have also spent time in both buildings and so far have been more drawn to a corner of the Collection with a large window that looks out onto some modern glass offices. This may be another way of connecting historical and modern elements of Lincoln within our performance piece, as there is a large sign in that area discussing the development of Lincoln from fields to concrete. According to this sign, ‘2000 years ago it was woodland’, and ‘100 years ago there was red brick’. Therefore we must consider the changes the site has gone through to become the Usher Gallery and the Collection Museum. By connecting these elements we may be able to delve deeper in the details of the site, whilst getting our audience to consider a future building that may stand in place of the Collection, as the Collection stands where fields once were. Whilst we consider history, we must also consider the future.

collection

Pottery in The Collection Museum

References: Bennett, Susan (2012) Theatre and Museums, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Author: Lacey Cole.