description of last night's performance

Last night was Live Art:Live Art Vol. 2 at Contact Theatre organised by Akemi Arts. I hadn't seen the first night and didn't really know what to expect - I'll post a review in the next few days.

I was also the first time I'd publicly done a piece of live art. It seemed to go better than I could have expected - which may be down to the research and preparation that went into it - including scrapping the original idea quite late in the process.

The rest of this post is mainly a description of the performance with a few reflections along the way.

I was quite pleased with the performance - especially once I adjusted my pace and slowed down.

I still have no clear idea what it's about but it ain't my job to work that out.

It starts with the equipment required for the performance lined up at the back of the performance area.

At the last minute there was a change. I'd intended to wear a blue dress for the performance - and still may in future. But it was never integral to this idea and was a hangover from my original, abandoned, concept. Instead it was folded at the back of the performance area.

I knelt facing away from the audience. Then I took the dress which was in the central group of objects including the Chinese cleaver and violin bow. The dress was laid out diagonally in alignment to the performance space to the left from the audiences perspective.

I returned to the centre of the stage and again kneeling and facing away took off my pink top. I laid this diagonally at the right side of the performance space in a mirror image of the dress.

Next I knelt to pick up three plastic trays from the back of the performance area. I laid them out - one to the left, one in the middle between the dress and top, and one to the right from the audience's perspective. I knelt to place each one.

The same action was repeated to place one plastic colander - blue, mauve and pink - on each tray.

Then I took sheets of newspaper from the back of the performance area. Each colander had one sheet stretched across the top and folded under, this was followed by a smaller sheet laid on top, and then another sheet stretched across the top and folded under at a right angle to the first.

At this point I started to relax and take my time. The objects so far had been arranged in three groups at the back of the performance area. The trays, the colanders, and the sheets of newspaper. From the point of view of the audience they were on the left running left to right.

To the right at the rear of the performance area running left to right were three glasses with stems, some small sheets of newspaper under a small metal bowl filled with marbles, and a plastic measuring jug of water.

In the centre running front to back were a violin bow and a Chinese cleaver with newspaper wrapped around the blade. The dress had been folded behind these.

Next I took the glasses in one hand - happy for them to chime against each other - and kneeling at each colander placed one glass in the centre of the taut newspaper.

After this I took the bowl of marbles and the small newspaper sheets and again knelt at each colander in turn. I laid the marbles to my left and the newspaper to my right. I poured a handful of marbles into each glass then folded the newspaper into the top of the glass.

Then I took the jug and knelt to pour an amount of water around the base of each glass directly on the newspaper.

The last action of the performance was to take the knife out of its newspaper wrapping and hold it in my left hand. I took the bow in my right hand and knelt in front of the first colander and glass to the left as the audience viewed it. I held the cleaver out over the glass with handle and blade vertical then bowed across the heel of the blade drawing out a high pitched note.

I left each note five seconds to fade away then bowed twice more, each time leaving it decay for five seconds. Then I moved to the next colander and glass.

I had expected the weight of each glass half filled with marbles to break through the soaked newspaper during this part of the performance but the timing was better than I might have expected. The first glass fell through the newspaper as I bowed my first note. The second glass fell through the newspaper while I was bowing either the second or third note. The third glass fell shortly after I'd bowed the final note over it and returned to the centre of the performance area.

When the second glass fell I immediately thought 'This is good', then 'This is bad - it looks like the world's most pointless magic trick'. Then I ignored the thoughts and continued to carry out the actions.

At the centre of the performance area facing away from the audience I knelt and laid the bow and cleaver back in place. After kneeling for a short time the performance was over.

I believe some people at very least didn't really get it - which is totally fine. I overheard comments along the lines of 'What's going on?', 'What's the point?', and 'Why is he doing that?'. To which the answers would be live art, none really if you're not interested, and because I want to.

Other people seemed to be pretty interested in it. In at least once case seeming to find it a lot more relaxing and meditative than I'd thought it would be.

I will revisit and probably modify this performance.