The Collection Of… – Page 30 – 'experiences of contemporary museums as theatre' (Bennett,S 2013)

Looking at our Cafe

Gabriel / January 25, 2013April 20, 2013 / Inspiration, People, Space

To sit down in a café and really look around is something. Usually you avert gazes, you keep your eyes to your food, your friends, anything that is yours. To actually sit and look around a place you have been in a thousand times before and really look at is something.

When does anyone sit in the café to look at the building?

To look at how high the ceiling actually is, how tall the building is.

When finally looking at the people around you, you notice the boy drawing and how engrossed he is in his work, you can’t see what he is colouring, so you imagine he is drawing himself fighting a dragon.

To finally wrench yourself away from your laptop, your work, your stress and see that the café actually has a beautiful view of the city. Funny how you never notice that before until you’re told too, until you are told to really look around you.

To hear the interesting lives of people sitting next to you is strange, when usually you go so far out of your way not to overhear and be rude.

“I sold my boats, I got more than I wanted for it and now I have a month. I am living here, on the river, least I have a caravan to fall back on. “

“It’s not a cob, it’s a roll.”

“I love ear-wigging”

“Oh your egg is gone”

“I have egg on my forehead.”

When you then finally look up from your laptop, you notice how busy it truly is, how in this university there are going to be hundreds of people you may only see once, or at least remember only seeing once.

All of this from simply sitting in a cafe for an hour and a half.

Initial Response to ‘The Collection’ and ‘The Usher Gallery’

Chloe Doherty / January 25, 2013March 5, 2013 / Possessed Time, Research, Space

After finding out our chosen site, we decided to visit The Collection as a member of the public to gain a firsthand understanding of the space. Whilst there, we explored the current ‘Past to Present’ exhibition and this inspired the beginnings of our ideas for possibly creating a piece focusing around the progression of time. A stand-out feature of this exhibition was the ‘Languages from the Past’ audio talk, which elaborated on different readings from Lincolnshire’s past. The use of headphones was a departure from the traditional museum experience. This ingenuity reminds us of the work of Janet Cardiff and inspired us towards the idea of incorporating audio and other sensory stimulants, moving our piece away from a purely visual field.

When exiting the exhibition, we noticed a faint whispering, only later to discover speakers integrated within the walls. We found this to be an interesting device to capture visitor’s attention without overpowering the rest of the exhibition.

The museum, however, was only half of our designated site so we ventured across to The Usher Gallery. This was an inspiring place with a number of contrasting exhibits; ranging from the classical statues of antiquity to a modern photographic interpretation of an African-American ‘Last Supper’.

‘The Last Supper’ by Faisal Abdu’Allah 2003

Incorporated in between these era’s, were representations of British arts featuring pastoral scenes. One particularly intriguing feature was the 1795 ‘Pineapple Dish’. The fact that something we consider as common and everyday as the pineapple was seen as exotic and important enough to have its own item of specific crockery, highlights how perspective can change over the passage of time.

L: ‘Pineapple Dish’ by William ‘Quaker’ Pegg 1795

The idea of time is something which was highlighted as the one constant throughout the Usher Gallery; almost every room featured some form of clock or timepiece. This triggered the idea of time as an abstract concept as opposed to something which we can attempt to define on the face of a clock. This led us to using the notion of time as a stimulus for our piece, focusing on the various perceptions of time such as: a historical epoch, something quantified by the use of watches and clocks, the aesthetics of both the inner and outer workings, and the way in which time can be used as a healer but equally recognized as a force of decay.

Authors: Chloe Doherty, James Barker, Shane Humberstone, Tabitha Hilton-Berry

Psychogeographic Mapping- Dériving Lincoln

Shane Humberstone / January 25, 2013April 20, 2013 / Possessed Time, Space

“the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals” (Debord, G, 1955)

As part of our research into Site Specific performance, we looked into the concept of psychogeographic mapping. Due to Lincoln’s architecture, you are instinctively drawn towards what centres the city, which is the award winning Steep Hill, and the city’s iconic Cathedral. Despite this, as we tried to gain a deeper knowledge of both the physical and spiritual aspects of the city, we found ourselves gradually deriving away from the centre.

When we explored Lincoln in greater depth we documented the various buildings and sites in order to answer the set questions we were given.

Where would be the best place in Lincoln to see old people holding hands?

Being the first time we had attempted this, we were still conscious of our preconceptions. This then drew us towards where we naturally expected to see elderly citizens, which was Marks and Spencer. Despite our initial thoughts, as we delved further into the practice of deriving we found the following road sign.

This then became a stimulus for us to consider that when crossing roads, especially in icy conditions, elderly people hold hands for safety.

Where is the best place in Lincoln to go sledging in the snow?

Whilst we were dériving, we were constantly walking up hills, any of which would have been ideal for sledging. However, when we found ourselves behind the castle, we noticed that between the steepness of the slope and the backdrop of the castle that this would be the most appealing site we came across and would create the best experience.

Where would be the best place in Lincoln to pour your heart out?

Initially we found this pub, which we thought would be the ideal place to pour your heart out, although later in the day we came across this graveyard. This made us take into consideration the raw emotion and effect that graveyards can have upon people, which allows them to open up their souls and freely pour their heart out.

Where would be the worst place in Lincoln to sleep rough?

In contrast to the beauty and awe of the castles architecture, we stumbled across some public toilets. It then occurred to us that if were to sleep rough, this would be one of the worst places.

Where’s the best place in Lincoln to shout without being heard?

With this question we were lead towards the nightclub Home because nightclubs are extremely loud places, and often when you shout you can not be heard. We then discovered a secluded car park/storage area situated behind the nightclub. Here we found that between the noises of the generators and the cars on the road, when we shouted it went unnoticed.

Where’s the best place in Lincoln to fall in love?

The easiest way to fall in love is through talking to someone, and with the advances in technology you can reach and talk to people wherever you are. Due to the increased use of mobile phones the magic of communication has been stripped away from society. In contemporary society phone boxes are a rarity, seen as art opposed to being a necessity. With this in mind, talking to someone from a phone box adds to the beauty of conversation. The combination of who you are talking to and where you are calling them from creates an ideal environment for falling in love.

Where’s the best place in Lincoln to witness true beauty?

True beauty can come in many forms, it can be aesthetic or as we found, spiritual. During our derieving we found a Y.M.C.A. training centre.

“Inspire. Develop. Transform.”
Having read their slogan we felt that what could be more beautiful that someone who commits themselves to bettering society, helping those of a greater need.

Where’s the worst place in Lincoln to be alone?

As we ventured up the hill we noticed the police station. This shouted out to us as a place full of anguish and despair. Not only are you put in a cold, dank cell, you are also alone and quite possibly scared.

Where’s the best place in Lincoln to see a ghost?

Edward Parker Charlesworth was a pioneer in mental health. As a monument to a man who helped many tortured souls we believed that if ghosts were to seek comfort then they would be drawn towards here. With the statue being in a gated desolate site, there was further potential for an eerie atmosphere.

“The spectacle is not a collection of images, but a social relation among people, mediated by images.”
(Debord, G, 1984)

Work Cited:
– Debord, G (1955) “Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography” Les Lèvres Nues (6)
– Debord, G (1984) Society of the Spectacle, unpaginated, Black & Red: U.S.

Authors: Chloe Doherty and Shane Humberstone

Looking at a ‘New City’

Holly Rudd / January 24, 2013May 9, 2013 / People, Research

When we first approached the subject of site specific we walked around the city of Lincoln trying to explore the environment in a way that we had never before. We were asked to look for specific places, such as; the best place to find an old couple holding hands, the worst place to pass wind, the best place to build a tree house and so on. To begin with we walked into the centre of the city, but then our course took us on another direction. We ended up somewhere that neither of us had been before. When we were in the areas that we had experienced before it was as though we were looking at them differently because we were, because we were looking for something in particular we paid more attention to the city that we so often pass by in an unfamiliar manner. ‘It’s that city, or one like it – this city, but not this one’ (Etchells, 1999, pg 76) Etchells quote from his book certain fragments sums up our feelings towards our new discoveries whilst wandering around Lincoln.

During our exploration I discovered a new love for the city itself, it developed deeper meaning and created new experiences. Whilst exploring new areas of the city I felt and excitement to uncover something I did not know before.

We found the best place to go sledding

The best place to discover true beauty

The best place to find yourself

The quote from Etchells is from an article within which he looks at the relationship between creative process and the practices of everyday life. This is what we were doing during our tour of the city; we were exploring the possibilities of performance whilst also looking into everyday situations, finding creativity from pedestrian actions. By looking for specific criteria we discovered creativity within each act. The worst place to sleep rough; we discussed where this might be, if there is anywhere that is the best place to sleep rough, why you would and what your circumstances might be to get to this point, from this discussion in our pair we decided upon performance concepts and ethical points. We then realised that this had never really been a topic that either of us had overly thought, it wasn’t until looking deeper into the city that we discovered these ideas.

Our journey took us on a 3 mile walk around the city, I found potential in a few of the sites for performance and for new discovery, it would have been interesting to explore these options further if we could have chosen a site but this exercise really opened my eyes into looking at things differently and so I feel that when we visit our site I hope I will be able to be open minded about it and look at it from a performance perspective, the same way that Etchells can view a city as a new city entirely.

Etchells, Tim (1999) Certain Fragments, New York: Routledge

Four Seasons

Chloe Doherty / January 23, 2013May 13, 2013 / Possessed Time, Research

After watching Janet Cardiff’s Ghost Machine in class yesterday, I thought I’d post about an installation which I saw at The Collection last year. Although it wasn’t a video tour, it did incorporate elements of an audio walk. Metro-Boulot-Dodo’s Four Seasons appeared at both The Collection and Drill Hall in the autumn of 2011, as part of the Frequency Digital Culture Festival (21st -29th October). Spring and summer were displayed at The Collection, whilst autumn and winter appeared at the Drill Hall.

“Four Seasons is a hugely ambitious four-part multi-media installation that looks to the seasons to reflect different stages of life.” (Ashberry, J and Stawson, K, 2011)

Four Seasons documents the life of a girl called Polly from the age of eight up to eighty. Each season is set out to represent a new stage in her life. As we explore the different seasons, our gaze is controlled by the constructed signs leading to secret passageways and voice played through the headphones supplied. Each season incorporates different elements of multimedia in order to give the audience the most authentic experience. For example, spring represents childhood, and therefore is the most interactive of the four. Summer shows Polly’s new found adolescence through a series of short stories written along the walls of her bedroom, accompanied by a set of headphones instructing the listener on what must happen next. The latter seasons incorporate much more audio; you are instructed to sit in front of the autumn installation whilst a voiceover of Polly plays, during which we hear her make an array of life changing decisions. Winter differs from autumn as we are supplied with headphones; this enables us to hear a description of how Polly came to lose her life, overlapped with the repetition of a classical score.

“People think the visual arts don’t do stories as much, but they can, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t.” (Beaumont, N, 2011). Four Seasons is a great example of how combining “interactive technology and sound installations” (Leary, E, 2011) can not only be visually pleasing, but can also tell a story. In my opinion, Metro-Boulot-Dodo have created a really inspirational piece of art, which is a brilliant example of how diverse sites such as The Collection are. This also shows the adaptability of certain sites and how they can accommodate a range of work, from historical exhibitions to contemporary installations.

Metro-Boulot-Dodo’s more recent projects, such as Call Me – When You Get There use a combination of volunteers, mobile phones and the creation of a virtual city. Again, this is reasonably similar to a company which we’ve seen previously, Blast Theory. Blast Theory’s Can You See Me Now? incorporates the same aspects into their work. Here’s the link to Metro-Boulot-Dodo’s website: http://www.metro-boulot-dodo.com/, I would definitely recommend a glance or two at their work!

Author: Chloe Doherty

Work Cited:
– Ashberry, J and Stawson, K (2011) Four Seasons in Lincoln Signals a World First, Online: http://www.cisionwire.com/shooting-star-pr/r/four-seasons-in-lincoln-signals-a-world-first,c9169097 (accessed 23 January 2012)
– Beaumont, N (2011) Four seasons come alive in Lincoln with art, Online: http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2011/10/four-seasons-come-alive-in-lincoln-with-art/ (accessed 23 January 2012)
– Leary, E (2011) A surreal experience for kids: Four Seasons at The Collection, Online: http://www.amummytoo.co.uk/2011/11/a-surreal-experience-for-kids-metro-boulot-dodos-four-seasons-at-the-collection/ (accessed 23 January 2012)