Month: April 2013

Considering changing the stage.  Rather than performing in Studio 1 and limiting myself in terms of space, I could drag the weight up Steep Hill.  Also the idea of ‘life quotes’, while motivating, limit the idea of motivation.  Motivation is deeper, something that is more powerful when ignited within, due to a person experience or not.  Therefore, maybe I should simplify the performance and allow the audience to create their own opinion of whether it is motivating or not.

If Performed on Steep Hill:  This prevents me needing the audience to influence the weight and resistence on my body, therefore I can concentrate on battling this grueling performance all on my own, focusing ont he solo aspect.  I will put a set weight at the end of two long thick heavy ropes that I will drag all the way up steep hill.  The length of steep hill will be an incedible endurence excersice, and the gardual increase in steepness is perfect to represent how the hardships in life increase.  By the time I reach half way I will be exaughsted.  On the ropes I will keep the white napkins tied along them that will have Cancer, depression, fatigue etc written upon them.  Napkins are a means of cleanilness and therefore having them dirtied will represent toxins and negativity for the mind and body.  I do not wish to put a time limit on the performance if possible, I merely want to keep going until I reach the top of Steep Hill.  I will post certain quotes and messages along steep hill for the audience to read and allow for their own conclusion of what my performance is about (possibly relating it to something in their life, although this is just a bonus).

The energy needed to complete the performance will be extremely intense, representing life’s hardships and how they can be extremely taxing on the body.  Completing the performance will represent mind over body and how the power of the mind can force the body to achieve or cope with extraordanary pressures in life.

 

Potential quotes to include into the performance.  Possibly have them scattered about or even have them on a projection to fade in and out throughout the duration of the performance.

 

Sylvester Stallone: “It’s not about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward, how much you can TAKE and keep moving forward” (2012, p. 222)

 

George Addair: “Everything you want is on the other side of FEAR. Get over it” (2010, p. 168)

 

Napoleon Hill: “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve” (1991, p. 54)

 

Muhammad Ali: “Only  a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of  his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the  match is even” (2005, p. 143)

 

Vince Lombardi: “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up” (2010, p. 117)

 

 

 

 

Woks Cited: 

Maewein, M., A., 2012, Survival of the Fittest and How the Lost Boy Survived It All, WestBow Press

Canfield, J., Hansen, M., V., 2010, The Power Of Focus, Random House

Staples, W., D., 1991, Think Like a Winner, Pelican Publishing

Fensin, A., 2005, Increase Wealth & Success, Pelican Publishing

Meier, J., D., 2010, Getting Results the Agile Way: A Personal Results System for Work and Life, Innovation Playhouse

I will tie dirty napkins along the thick ropes with titles of diseases, illness and reasons for depression written in black upon them (e.g. Cancer, Fatigue, Depression).  Napkins are obviously pieces of cloth that cleanse or are used to prevent mess etc therefore would represent the cleanliness of the mind and body being corrupted by each of these subjects.

In the background i’ll have quotes of success stories and facts about people who survived the impossible etc.

In terms of background music I was thinking Katie Melua’s ‘Spiders Web’ as it talks about looking at things in a new perspective.  On the other hand, possibly my own narration to background music may be more impactful and personal if I choose to go down that path.

Potential songs: 

Eva Cassidy – Fields of Gold

Katie Melua – Spiders Web

Katie Melua – The Flood

Christina Perri – A Thousand Years

Love, Come Save Me – Right Away, Great Captain

 

 

 

Here is an extremely rough sketch of the audience’s potential view of the performance.

In my performance I will put my body under intense physical strain to represent the hardship life can bring to the body and mind. To do this I will perform an intense 10 minute rest-pause set of pull ups while wearing a belt that has several heavy ropes attached to it. These ropes will trail off into the audience where the audience will be told prior to the performance to tug on them forcefully at their own discretion. The audience must not hold back, life doesn’t.  This will force my body off the pull up bar and cause me to drop/make it a lot harder for me to complete my reps. It is physically impossible for me to do pull ups for 10 minutes straight. In no time at all, I may not even be able to do a full rep. However the achievement is constantly trying and not giving up within that time period. I am still considering other methods that will cause physical stress and pain on the body to incorporate into this routine however, this image itself may be powerful enough. In terms of lighting and tech, I am thinking a large spotlight so the ropes trail off into the darkness while creating an intense effect on the muscles allowing for a more obvious image of stress and strain.  The intention of the performance is not just linked to the fight with Cancer, it is to convey a mind-set that is so powerful that when achieved, it will lead to success and subsequently has the power to help conquer one of the most feared diseases in the world. ‘Never give up’, A way of living that is invaluable.

This idea could easily relate to a less extreme version of ‘Body Art’.  Body Art is a form of performance that pushes the body to it’s limits, something Marina Abramovic was interested in earlier in her career.  Abramovic states that Body Art “had a lot to do with pain and injuriousness in order to push the body to its border, even to the border between life and death” (Goy, B., 1990).  While my performance is based on life and death in a way, it is not based solely on me pushing my body to the limit.  The strain on the body is merely something that is inevitable.  Something that will come with dealing with the performance itself.  The focus is on completing the act.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Goy, B., 1990, Journal of Contemporary Art, Available at: http://www.jca-online.com/abramovic.html

Cancer is one of the most commonly known and feared diseases. The physical stress it causes on the body can be horrific. The mental repercussions of this can be equally as fatal if not more so. The constant attack on a person’s mindset can dramatically enhance the strength of the illness. The question, how to ‘Beat Cancer’ is argued constantly around the world. Having a positive mindset is extremely difficult in a time where everything seems so negative, especially as your body is giving you negative signals and possibly painful reminders every day. However, with a positive mindset, the possibilities to help yourself and therefore your body, open up. If you personally believe you can beat it, then you instantly put yourself in a position to do something about it. whether that action is simply having an extra glass of water a day or completely transforming your diet and exercise. Now, it may not be FACT that a positive mindset can cure cancer but it IS fact that if you sit there and do nothing to help yourself, you’re giving up. If you’re giving up, your mind will give up and your body will follow.

Caroline Leaf states that “the average person has over 30,000 thoughts a day.  Through an uncontrolled thought life, we create the conditions for illness; we make ourselves sick!  Research shows that fear, all on its own, triggers more than 1,400 known physical and chemical responses and activates more than 30 different hormones.  There are INTELLECTUAL and MEDICAL reasons to FORGIVE! Toxic waste generated by toxic thoughts causes the following illnesses: diabetes, cancer, asthma, skin problems and allergies to name just a few.  Consciously control your thought life and start to detox your brain!”

While this is a very extreme view point, I strongly beleive that second by second you could be doing something to help yourself.  You can do ANYTHING you put your mind to.  People can argue that my statement can’t be backed up personally as my Mother ‘lost’ her fight with Cancer. I don’t see it like that.  My mum was diagnosed with Breast Cancer that, with a positive mindset and healthy eating, (with help from the all natural Gerson Diet) she overcame. Eventually it came back in her lungs and was mis-diagnosed, giving the cancer time to grow.  It rapidly became a very serious form of Cancer and my mum was given a rough estimate as to how long she had left to live.  Thanks to a positive mindset, positive support, exercise and healthy lifestyle. My mum managed to dramatically extend her life expectancy.

 

 

 

Works Cited: 

Leaf, C., Article, Thought Life, available at: http://drleaf.com/thought_life.php