I was on my way to see the flame and stopped to see the performance.
It was very interesting, I saw a man who was struggling with immigration and then ended up being in a countryless world.
It made me think of exile
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In this dance performance, I enjoyed the fact that we got to follow the dancer and the saxophonist through the shipping container. The performance made me think of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic experience where it did not matter where in the world you were from - ie. what flag you represented - you were welcome and able to join in the wonderful energy at the venues and on the streets. That which divides us as nations, represented in the multitude of country flags that tumbled out of the suitcase, was countered by the image of the globe which serves to unite us as one global entity. The sense of harmony, respect, and togetherness that I witnessed at the 2010 Olympics, are things I hadn't expected to experience. I think it is so unique to experience such a massive international event where you live.
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ReplyDeleteThis dance spoke of the personal struggle--emotional, physical, and political--one experiences when leaving home and coming toward another place to name as home. What must be forgotten, what must be accepted are all found in a sea of frustrations and containments. The suitcases beckoning you back to glowing memories, the shipping containers' metal wall confinement,the teeth clenched upon the small globe, the flag eaten in rage...all these images put the audience physically into the experience of leaving your culture behind and searching for a place to be in a new land. It is the struggle we Canadians have all experienced at some point in our family's history. Kathryn speaks it to us in movement, accompanied sensitively with jazz music evoking the improvisation needed to live this thing. A moving performance, it brought tears. Thank-you.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting when you picked up the mini globe in your mouth! This is from Patty's daughter.
ReplyDeleteAs an observer of the dance:
ReplyDeleteCrowds and crowds of people walking by - the music calls them to attention. In a sea of bodies, what makes one notice something different? The sound of music, the lights and smoke, a slow moving body. Two performances happened that night, each quite different from the next. The first garnered more attention from the crowds and I think it might be because the music was fuller and took up more space. This called the crowds to notice. The intensity was thick and almost heavy. The serious weight of the performance was displayed in the relationship between dancer and Canadian flag. What is Canada made up of? What stories of struggle does it hold? What is our multicultural identity born of? A stop moment for me was when you caressed the wet ground, then rubbed your face with your wet dirty hand. We are of this land, this land is of us. I was unable to see much of the performance in the container, but was left with thoughts of our Canadian history. Who are we as Canadians? What identities have been given up along the way?
This performance left me with thoughts of rather than celebrating what we have become, but of sadness of what has been lost. It is easy to celebrate what we have become and not recognize that pain is also a part of our history.
ReplyDeleteThe second performance had fewer observers. I think perhaps it was because the music did not call the mobs of people to attention the same way the first performance did. It was quieter and had more silences - less intense, but more playful at the same time. The dance had a playful edge to it as well, and this left me asking - does the dancer respond playfully to the music? Does the music respond more playfully to the dancers movements? Who sets the mood? What happens in that in that space between dancer and musician? There is a sensitivity that plays off on each - is there a leader and follower? How and where does this reciprocal energy come from? The stop moment for me was when you invited an observer to participate in the dance. What would he do? Would he take the flag? How far would he go in interacting with the performance? The second performance was definitely lighter than the first. I thought that the playful quality could have resulted in it being the second time through. After completing the first performance, certainly there was a sense of relief. This relief could result in a more comfortable feeling with performing in this situation, which in turn could result in a happier, more playful sense of being. The performance was engaging in an almost comical way. Again- I did not see much of the performance in the container, but was offered a chunk of bread on the other side! I had a feeling this was a more friendly, inviting performance - having less to do with the history of Canada and more to do with Canadians in Vancouver at this time.
As an observer of the audience:
Audiences are funny. We are taught to be polite and observe a certain etiquette during a performance, and this is what I saw during both performances. During the first performance, I noticed a bunch of girls stop - watch for about 30 seconds - then say it was boring and move on. Here we were in a huge crowd of people, most headed towards the Olympic cauldron - which was burning 24 hours a day for weeks on end. Stunning as it was, it was there, and always there - unchanging for the most part. This makes me wonder about the youth of today and the fast moving pace expected for their entertainment. The dance was too slow for them but certainly they realized it would only last a certain amount of time then be gone forever - and yet, they hurried off to the cauldron. I wonder how long they looked at it before they moved on?
The first performance had a lot more people stopping to watch and I think, as I mentioned above, that the sound of the music caused them to pay attention and notice what was happening. Also, a crowd grows a crowd! While I was on the other side of the container handing out "respond in the blog" cards, I mentioned the artists interest in feedback on the performance. Well, part way through my handouts I started getting responses like, "What performance?", "There was a performance?" etc. It seems that a crowd had seen another crowd moving along the sidewalk and through the container, and simply followed along. Not asking what or why, they followed like a herd of cattle, only to find themselves strolling through an empty container! (I did not notice the screen with images in the upper portion of the container until the performances were over, and seeing as this screen was behind the audience as they walked through the container, I am to assume that it is quite likely they did not notice either. I know this was a technical placement that could not be changed, but it would have been better placed on the other side of the container.) Anyway, back to the cows - what does this say of human nature and curiosity?
The second performance had fewer observers. As directed, I tried to get the audience to move through the container to the other side, so more people could fit in and actually see the performance inside. As the first 5 - 6 people followed the performers into the container, I asked them to move all the way along the wall to the other side so more can fit in. Funny enough, even though directed, they still did not want to cross the invisible line between performance space and audience space. It seemed they thought the entire back side of the container was stage space, and only walked halfway along the wall and stopped a few feet from the performance. Even when directed to go further upon entering, they could not bring themselves to walk past the performers. This leads to questions about audience space and performers space - how do they intertwine? What are the boundaries? Who sets those boundaries and how can they be broken? How does an audience know when to respect these boundaries or engage with the space or performance?
ReplyDeleteAs a participant: I helped out with the two performances with dry ice, directing crowds and handing out response cards. For sure, the place that needed more consideration was the directing crowd part. As mentioned earlier, they simply could not walk past the performers. If I was to do it again, rather than direct them verbally, I would lead the group into the container and walk past the performers to the other side of the container. Now whether they would follow past that invisible line would be another question. I am thinking that they would have to know somehow that I was officially part of this event and not some kook who has no etiquette when it comes to watching performances!
I enjoyed that your work resonated with what was happening on the
ReplyDeletestreet. The TV world looking in on Vancouver and Canadian flavored
flag waving where ever present. I really enjoyed how your ongoing
performance character had the capacity to take these themes on. And
take it on in a way that sat well with your visual/physical
vocabulary. I also felt that taking on these themes - especially
right in front of the Olympic flame provided an accessible entry
point for viewers (many who may have never seen such a style of
performance). I often hear how contemporary artists (particularly
dance) wanting to engage with a general public - but then don't
really shape their performances to actually do this. Our themes do
not always acknowledge the zeitgeist of the moment. You did this
well. Reflecting an artistic barometer of the moment - within your
work - reflecting this perspective back to an engaged public.
I also enjoyed that you found a way to work with the site - inside
and outside. Expressing both a public and intimate exchange.
Oh yes, and I was taken with the relationship between you and the
musician. I enjoy watching folks that have a shared language and an
almost unspoken way of negotiating and working in concert. And of
course, I also enjoyed watching the love and support which your
family brought.