Month: February 2013

Idea 2 – An uncomfortable audience/exhausting the body

Richard Calvert / / Solo Performance, Video/Audio

Perception of the body is unique to each individual.  The stereotypical view on a muscular physique is manly credited for its aesthetic qualities.  I can display the body as an object by performing a 12 minute Full Monty.  Within the performance I will incorporate numerous body weight exercises transforming the performance it self into an endurance exercise and putting the body under enormous stress. Subsequently, this performance will allow the audience to create their own opinion of how to perceive my body as I put it completely on display, possibly creating an uncomfortable feeling in the crowd or an excited, euphoric reaction. 

Maria Obramavic is a potential influence for this idea due to her style of creating tension within her audience.  She manipulates the body as a tool to push the boundaries of social acceptance, testing whether the audience will react one way, or the opposite. 

To show the body and allow for the stress on it to be more visible, I will diet enough to be able to portray each individual muscle to the audience.  In doing so, each muscle will produce a ‘pump’ under the constant stress and become more vascular, thus aiding the indication that the body is under intense pressure.

To add to the idea of perception and how the public don’t look beyond the physical appearence, I could play muted clips of ‘Come Dine With Me’ in the background, while displaying the death threats and shallow abuse that was sent to me via social media.

Possible body weight exercises: 

Clap Press Ups

Pull ups

Sprint on the spot

Window Wipers

hanging crunches

Music:

I would require a song that was intense and could bring a sense of dis-comfort to the audience.

Current Ideas:

Marainne’s Wish – Rock n’ Roll Jesus

or

Nickleback – Something in your mouth (more likely)

 

 

 

Works Cited:

nicklebackrocks87, 2009, Nickelback Something In Your Mouth, Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-TvAqv43p4

infinity12records, 2012, Marianne’s Wish – Rock ‘n’ Roll Jesus, Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpNtv2Y02WM

Idea 1 – Physical Stress on the Body

Richard Calvert / / Solo Performance

Solo performance is a widely argued subject in terms of its definition.  Some solo performances include audience participation where as a lot of solo practitioners claim that this is strictly not solo performance.

A lot of performers use their strengths and personal skills to convey their desired message.  This led me to think about my abilities.  Instantly what came to mind was my passion for weight training.  The idea of putting the body under unnatural amounts of stress so it has to ultimately reform bigger and stronger to cope with these excessive traumas on the body.  This prompted the idea of physical stress on the body and how much it can take.  Maria Abramovic’s work often includes physical strain on the body especially when analysing and defining the limits of the body.  Her work pushes the image of danger to the forefront of the audience’s mind, giving the performance a risk factor. This risk factor can cause the audience to feel uncomfortable.  An example of this is Marina Abramovic who performances  allowed “her body to be slammed, pushed past, or otherwise stressed as in Rhythm 0, of 1974” (2012)

The idea of putting my body under stress in the form of body weight exercises. Proceeding the performance I will set personal bests on each exercise and display them during the performance. A timer will be present that will count up until I physically can’t continue the exercise. Sometimes I could fail and sometimes I could succeed. Risk factor could be placing thumbtacks under certain exercises or even sandpaper.

Rough Ideas

1. 12 minute set of specific body weight exercises, time limit. some obtainable, some a hard struggle. Slow hard music in the background.  The idea is to show what the body is capable of if its pushed to the very limit.  Topless to show the strain on the body.  Need count down timers and a rope.

2. Possibly write my own song, 10 minutes long, acting out the different types of people who gym.

3. comedy sketch, physical, water on the body. (elaborate later)

4. Perform something that blurs the boundaries between something comedic and vulgar? The outcome is merely judged on different perceptions.

 

 

Works Cited:

Article, 2012, Body Art, Available at: http://dating-au.com/body-art/