Author: Kyle Higgins

My Thoughts.

Tim Crouch An Oak tree

What is a solo performance?

 Do I even understand it myself?

The answer is no… But I’m beginning to…

One interesting thing that I have found while delving into the dark, hollow pit of solo-performance is the complete contrast that occurs within the art form, performances so far have ranged from body-shocking to surreal monologues written around controversial or taboo topics. Well-regarded solo artists such as the late Spalding Grey, who for me was a real insight into creating content that is both interesting and provocative, looking at his work in particular I can see how an active solo artist is able to convey passion both through their performance style and through their overall delivery as a solo artist. Each solo artist has there own agenda, motives and moral lessons they want to convey. For me this is the essence of what makes solo performance one of the most provocative art forms available today.

When looking into my own performance I am constantly looking/thinking do I want to educate,inform or simply entertain. artists like Marina Abramović use the idea of arguably the degrading of bodies or testing the limits of the human body is controversial and often is the leading cause of a non-aware or subjective viewpoints that is against the overall concept that is performance art and the often implied intellectual barrier between the artist and spectator that is created through this format.  For me personally I do not think I could explore the limits of the human or (my) body within my own work, as I feel it is a purely subjective albeit provocative art form that craves a reaction or even tragedy to heighten its response…

I would have to say my most influential and respected solo performer/artist is Tim Crouch as when I was fortunate enough to take part in the biggest arts festival in the world, known simply as The Edinburgh International Art’s Festival.                    (Ed: Fringe.).

My Look at Tim Crouch…

While there I was able to witness Tim Crouch perform in the twentieth anniversary of its original performance at the Traverse theater of his work titled An Oak Tree. This performance for me was a completely new style of performance, performed by arguably the leading expert on his collaboratively  written text.  The subject matter and delivery style, even the unconventional performance idea of allowing someone to perform on stage, regardless of knowing them and their acting ability or performance capability. Also as a solo performer (I use that term loosely.) I appreciate his performance style, to me it visually/physically captures that of a friendly uncle who has an audience feel they can confide in even trust when being told a deeply traumatic story, even though they are being controlled throughout. Yes they are in a theater however sometimes for a mere moment you forget this and become lost in the disillusion that is An Oak tree. 

This is something I hope to explore in my own work and something that in my finished concept will play a huge influential role.

The persistence of memory by Salvador Dalí

Part of being a solo performer is about creating content from nothing, this may be an idea, image or extract of text from which to work from. Using the subject of time as my main inspiration I began writing, allowing myself to drift and create a sarcastic, all be it serious short interactive monologue which could be used to explore the subject of time with a comedic-linear and basic narrative. Inspired by the painting; The persistence of memory, wanted to allow self the freedom of looking inside what a solo performance could be using visuals and repeatable mediums that we all carry out both subliminally and mentally.

My script follows as below, however I have to stress this was a first draft and was only an exercise in generating material.

Things you can do in five minuets. (A beginners guide to time-wasting.) 

1.) Stretch your legs.

2.) Check your phone.

3.) Check the time.

4.) Fart or if you are posh pass wind.

5.) Fart again, it just feels better knowing you can.

6.) Acknowledge how good the fart or passing of wind was!

7.) Shout the word “Bitch”or “Fuck”

8.) This time make it really loud.

9.) Realize you just shouted the word “Bitch” or “Fuck” (I’m not prejudiced.) At no one.

10.) Think about food… Think about ordering food.

11.) Think about the time it takes for the ordered food to arrive.

12.) Think about how long a reasonable time to wait is.

13.) Think about money… Think about how very little you have.

14.) Become angry.

15.) Become angrier.

16.) Think about the government… The government sucks… The government

       really sucks…

17.) Feel confused.

18.) Feel inspired.

19.) Think about how you can help someone.

20.) Think about how you can change someone’s world.

21.) Watch… Wait… Pause.

22.) Listen to the radio.

23.) Listen to the sounds around you.

24.) Listen to the sounds of the worlds outside you.

25.) Think about looming deadlines.

26.) Feel stressed or happy about deadlines?

27.) Sneeze!… All better?

28.) Realize you may not have shut the fridge/freezer and now all your food is ruined.

29.) Reevaluate your life… Did you make the right choice?

30.) Think about where you are going…

31.) Where would you like to be in ten years?

32.) Where would you like to be in ten minuets?

33.) Do you think people like you?

34.) Do you like you? (It’s not important.)

35.) Realize someone is ringing your phone.

36.) Think you should answer your phone.  “Yes I am happy with my current provider.”

37.) Are you really happy with your current provider?

38.) Think about how you have just spent the last five minuets of your very important life thinking about pointless things.

39.) Listen to the clock ticking by… Counting down.

40.) acknowledge this.

41.) Hear the rumbling of your stomach…

42.)  Think about  life, the universe and everything…

43.) drift back to ordering food…

 My original draft of the script.

“Treat yourself…”

Solo performance idea construct…

When debating the content that can make up a solo performance we were tasked with developing a five-minuet performance or idea based around the starting point of time. Time for me was an interesting concept from which to develop on as with time comes the stigmas of life, death, reality and our inevitable prospect of running out of time. Through conversations each person developed and talked about there own unique concept and how they  would transform their space into one that could fit this performance. I myself was more interested in using a spectator or audience member as a participant in order to elevate a performance. One problem I feel with creating a solo performance I feel is the idea of creating something that is unique, however has relevance behind the context of the performance. I thought that through looking at time I would also look at the idea of innocence and creativity even age…

The initial Idea was to create an atmosphere that felt freeing, almost domestic in setting as often through the exploration of other solo performers a participator will feel at ease when thinking of an artist as a domestic or maternal guide. I also wanted through this domestic-setting to explore childhood and adulthood through the idea of taste and how through the years we as humans as flawed as we are develop.

I’m really not making sense here…

I think basing my visuals around sweet snacks I can create a freeing atmosphere that would allow anyone present to explore their own changing tastes and trends through creating and destroying cakes. It’s still a very early concept however I would allow time to bake a construct and not necessarily allow them to eat it there and then, however present a range of snacks that differ greatly in sweet to bitter and transition from each sweet/savory treat into a new age; childhood to adulthood and how our wants, likes/dislikes change as we develop.

The simplest way I can explain my idea is through the idea of this.

Would the audience even be prepared to eat anything I made?

When you are a child you are never full, you are never conscious about your weight, about your appearance even what we say to one another. However when you age you grow as a person, you become conscious of those around you. How you look/feel even how you are perceived by others, equally you also change your tastes, now you are an adult you think about what you eat and the idea that you have had enough. You wait after each meal, you savoir foods/wines and sweet treats and more often then normal you refuse that extra slice of cake, you simply have had enough and feel the need to conform to social norms and not over-indulge, even though you know it would change nothing and you might even enjoy yourself…

There is far to much to develop here.

However I feel through future understating and development there could be a show.

07/02/2016

While researching on different outlooks actors shared I accidentally came across a short radio interview of a very well known and regarded actor talking about the role that a actor can play within a production, even how an actor could arguably be defined. It  is in no a direct link to solo-performance however for me I find this of interest as you are given a actors perspective who is well regarded for his own occupation  that has ranged from ensembles to solo performances with great success. I feel this could be of great help when creating my own performance. I am finding a difficulty in how to define what kind of solo-artist I want  to be, even the material that I can create and I think it is beneficial to listen to someone with a long standing reputation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p014h64p

Last Night on the 04/02/2016, I ventured into what I can only describe as a insightful free-love fest. The mood was set, the audience were engaged and the content was fantastic. In all honesty I think this solo-performance will be one of the most influential pieces of performance that I have felt truly touched by, however this raises the question will I still feel the same way when creating my own, individual concept.

(Jamie Wood’s, 2015, Google Images.).

This performance did several things well, to start with the audience were very passive and mostly curious about the performance they would be witness to (ignore that.) would become a part of, this performance in particular was crucial for the audience to feel partof the open-spirited world that Jamie Wood’s had created as throughout they would be called onstage to elevate the performance to new slightly seedy heights. I feel overall the performance was a joy to watch, yes there were questions, namely what am I about to witness and what have I let myself in for this evening? I would not change a thing. It allowed me to see  how playfulness was an effective medium in which to work, it also allowed me to gain mental/visuals on how I would like my performance to come across on stage.

(Smilesfilms, Yoko Ono, 2015).

Other areas I noted was the actual context of the performance, based around the real-life setting on John Lennon and Yoko Ono, a multimedia performance artist who would be the second wife of John Lennon, and could be argued to say deeply influenced his own work. The performance was part ritual, part love-story, part celebration, and it also addressed the death of John Lennon several times that at first glance could be missed or contrived.

It also added the horrible reminder of the mass killings of the american free-love protesters, as each gunshot echoed through an immersed audience each deeper then the next. If there was moment I would have to say affected me it would have to be the ultimate test  for any audience was the free-love movement of “Bag-ism”  and the idea that two people are asked to completely undress themselves underneath for mere moments so that they are completely naked, this for me was a moment I would like to remember for the rest of my life as in its basic essence it was a moment of pure innocence and often in life we pass moments life this by,  it could be argued that if we took more moments for complete thoughts to occur there might be less senseless anger and instead all we all could relate to John Lennon lyrics of imagine as he famously sang;

“Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…”

John Lennon- Imagine.