Research – Page 7 – The Collection Of…

The Big Ben

Jade Nicholls / February 18, 2013May 13, 2013 / Cultural Terrorists, Research

After doing extensive research into ‘The Big Ben’ clock tower it has given us more ideas on what to include in our performance. There are many clips of the sound the clock makes every hour which we may use as part of our soundscape throughout the performance, the four quarter bells sound G♯, F♯, E, and B. We could even use an instrument to make this significant sound of maybe bring an actual bell into the gallery to hit.

Also we researched the significance in popular culture that the Big Ben has had, the clock is now a symbol of the United Kingdom and London, especially in visual media and attracts thousands of tourists every month. Even though we live so close to London and have been many times we still visit the Big Ben each time we go to London as it is such an iconic building. When a television or film-maker wants to indicate a generic location in Britain they usually show an image of the tower or involve the tower in some way. On entering every New Year the Big Ben plays a key part and around the country everybody watch’s the fireworks surrounding the clock and relies on the time it shows to celebrate the New Year. Also on Remembrance Day the chimes of the Big Ben are broadcast to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the chimes start the two minutes of silence throughout the country. Furthermore on the 27 of July 2012, starting at 8:12 a.m, Big Ben chimed thirty times, to welcome in the London Olympic Games, which officially began that day. In 2008 a survey of 2,000 people found that the tower was the most popular landmark in the United Kingdom. It has also been named as the most iconic film location in London. These facts and examples represent to us how significant The Big Ben is to Britain and how it plays a huge part of the cultured society. By creating our own Big Ben in the gallery there will not be confusion as to what we are creating as everybody around the world is familiar to The Big Ben.

All of these facts help us with our performance as it proves how iconic the Big Ben is and supports our reasoning for using it as the iconic clock. Also we can interpret the facts in the performance and use them, for example we could get newspapers with these facts on them, or even project the facts throughout the gallery for people to read whilst the performance is going in. Finally it has given us a better knowledge on the Big Ben and if we are asked questions during our performance or after from members of the public we can be confident to answer correctly including many facts.

The Big Ben.

The Iconic Bell

Like Clockwork

George Creighton / February 14, 2013February 26, 2013 / Possessed Time, Public Responses, Research, Space, Video Research

“In order to help us focus our copious amounts of ideas, we needed to find a way to get the project on its feet. Correlating with our fascination with the clock in gallery 3, it had to be an exercise that would involve everyone constantly, and producing a mechanical like performance. I decided that although it was a small space and we had spent several hours in it, we needed to look at it in a more performance base way. This was the reasoning behind each person walking around freely, although with the intention of covering as much ground as possible. As well as this we passed a ball around linking our separate entities together. Furthermore reflecting back to the mechanism of a clock, bringing seperate things together and making them work effortlessly, which we intended each transfer to be.

Each time we did the exercise we added a different discpline, whether it be the way we move or the way we passed the ball.

The exercise took 6 minutes to do. Our performance is intending to be six hours long so in theory it could be a microcosm of the final performance.

Can you keep up with the ball?”

Author: Shane Humberstone

For our first attempt, this was a more natural movement, exploring the space with the only artificial element being passing the ball between us. This was used to help us engage with the space and interact with each other. We felt that this was useful as it showed us what it was like to work as part of a unit whilst still moving naturally, much like the mechanics of a clocks interior.

We then experimented with the concept of bio-mechanics whic included moving our bodies in time with the monotonous rhythm of a ticking clock. This made us consider the possibility of a more regulated piece, dominated by time and having time dictate our movements to us. The videos also show the reactions of an audience surprised by an experience they were not expecting. Several individuals were hesitant in entering the room, whilst others did not do so at all.

The final endeavour was one which was completely at odds with the first, in so far that it was mechanical, utterly devoid of natural movement and totally regulated. We found this to be useful as it challenged our previous conceptions of the space, forcing us to move differently and observe aspects of the room and displays we had hitherto ignored.

After our excercise, we interviewed members of the public who had briefly observed our performance. It was intriguing to hear their response to how the use of sound in the room did not distract from our visual display but was still recognised. They also said how the darkness of the room helped to channel their attention on to the performance. One individual compared our use of the concept of time with their own performance of an Ibsen text, also correlating with time. He explained how his exploration of the text included a coordination between human movement and the ticking of a clock.

Authors: Chloe Doherty, George Creighton, James Barker, Tabitha Hilton-Berry, Stephanie Jackson

Bound by love.

Gabriel / February 13, 2013May 9, 2013 / Inspiration, People, Research

Our group went up to The Usher Gallery and saw this painting which is called “Bound By Love” by Alexei Grigoriev

We felt the painting seemed so out of place amongst the portraits of people and Lincoln, that is was brought to our attention right away. We then went back to the idea of using the Cafe, which that lived in feeling. Then it is as if the lovers are trying to meet in the Cafe.

It made us think of Pearson’s theater and archeology where it states “Cultural identities, It is in these limited spaces and with these heterogeneous elements that both archeology and performance work and negotiate identities of people and things.” (Pearson, Shanks, 2001, p54)

We want to focus on the Cafe (as well as the courtyard outside) to help bring the performance together and show the identities of these people, and their love for each other. One part of the performance will include one person in the cafe “talking” to someone in the building opposite. The building representing the people in the painting rather than the actors doing so.

The archeology is an important factor in our performance, representing not only the people in the painting but the distance between them.

Though this has yet to come into practice and we are unsure if it will be effective.

Bibliography:

Pearson, M., Shanks, M., (2001). Theatre/ Archeology. London: Routledge

Gabriel Davies

‘Something Wonderful..’

Chloe Doherty / February 12, 2013May 13, 2013 / Possessed Time, Research

When entering ‘Gallery 3′ of The Usher Gallery, although it may go unnoticed, a faint ticking sound plays as the public view the art behind the glass casing. The sound is played from a small stereo hidden above James Ushers’ personalised pocket watch collection, which instinctively draws you towards the clockwork display.

The sound being part of Liverpool based duo Jonathan Raisin and Elizabeth Willow’s Something Wonderful event. As part of this event, Raisin and Willow intended to “include overlooked or forgotten places and objects” (Fish, E, 2012) into their work. By adding a soundtrack to a room which can be overlooked so easily draws much more attention to it, causing the public to focus in on things that they may not have noticed before. The duo were inspired by “things lost and found, second-hand objects, overheard conversations and snatches of sound, fragments, glimpses and everyday normality as well as strangeness” (Lincolnshireonereviews, 2012). The particular ‘snatch’ of sound which they placed in The Usher Gallery is attached:

Raisin and Willow – Something Wonderful

Due to the circumstantial playing of the stereo in The Usher Gallery, it is easy to mistake the rooms ‘soundtrack’ to be the sound of the pocket watches ticking away from behind their cabinets, as the sound coupled with the aesthetics of the room causes our minds to jump to that conclusion. So, what I would really like to know are your thoughts on Raisin and Willow’s Something Wonderful?, how does it make you feel when it’s separated from the imagery of a clock?

Author: Chloe Doherty

Work Cited:– Fish, E (2012) Something Wonderful, Online: http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2012/11/artists-give-their-views-on-lincolnshires-best-bits/ (accessed 12 February 2013)
– Lincolnshireonereviews (1012) Raisin and Willow’s Something Wonderful, Online: http://lincolnshireonevenues.com/commissioning-projects/raisin-willows-something-wonderful/ (accessed 12 February 2013)

Gallery 3

Tabitha Hilton-Berry / February 12, 2013May 6, 2013 / Possessed Time, Public Responses, Research, Space

On first visit to The Usher Gallery, we felt gallery 3 had the most potential as a performance space due to its contrast to the other rooms in the building. All the other rooms in The Usher are light, airy and traditionally decorated, whereas gallery 3 is dark, enclosed and contemporary.

We found that there are many fascinating aspects about this particular room, one of which being that the items on display are withheld from their intended purpose because they are in glass cases. The items here are practical but with artistic value, as opposed to other features in the gallery such as the oil paintings and sculptures.

Left: Tea set collection in Gallery 3

The Usher Gallery as a whole displays many items from James Usher’s personal clock collection, most of which appear in gallery 3. As you enter the room, the first thing you see is the Grandfather clock and the pocket watch collection, this is such a dominant feature in the room that it influenced our ideas for a performance focusing on time, in this space.

IMG-20130212-WA0004 Left: Grandfather clock Left: Pocket watch collection

The lack of natural light means the only perception of time in the room is from the clocks, this makes it ideal for a performance on time as we can manipulate how time is perceived.

The room is midnight blue colour and has a very low ceiling creating an enclosed and compact space to work in. The fact it is a room built within a room makes it feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable, which is an aspect we would like the audience to experience whilst watching our piece. The contemporary style of the room is unusual to be in a Georgian building, this intrigued us and was our inspiration to perform here.