Day 17 Silent Task written by Ellie

Day 17
The silent task. 10am – 12, no sound to be played or voices in the space.

10.46am
There are chalk imprints of bodies warming up. Similar to a murder scene, though smudged where the body has continued to move. PK is writing, Darren is reading.
Ruth is sitting and watching intently, perhaps at me, no at Charlotte, no her focus is continually moving though too slow to notice at first.
The technicians are banging about, opening doors and following their routine. Charlotte’s yoga provides sounds of rhythmic breathing. Perhaps my typing is annoying those who want more peace.
The movement in the room is quiet, stretching, swinging, lying down, circling.
There is the feeling we have stepped into a library. The respectful silence, whilst people go about their individual needs and research.
A camera clicks.
Val’s arm swishes the floor.
A phone rings, and is hushed.
There is writing on the floor in chalk….stay with us 2nite…. and more walking about.
A continual vibration of sounds from outside – workmen’s machinery, phones, doors.
Charlotte traces her feet whilst moving through yoga, creating an imprint of her journey of contact with the floor.
Scott is balancing a sponge triangle.
Other than writing there is little communication between people, a co-exisitng in the space while individual tasks are carried out.
A piece of chalk is dropped.
Walking has become a noisy activity, particularly on the section that creaks.
More floor writing….lists, smudged, crossed out….leftover words – journey, body, memory.
11.04am
Ruth and Ellen read. Scott and CV find faster standing movement. Liz is engrossed in a movement activity n the far corner., sharp upper body repetitions and curving gestural actions. Darren is pacing about.
Thee arms are all reaching up towards the light.
The chalk idea has caught on. The floor is becoming a mural of thoughts and shadows of once present limbs.
The lights hum. The room itself has become provider of a sound score.
A time to rest and lie still.
11.12amety6 (alex pressing the key pad)
It is becoming an exploration of chalk. Scott grinds up and pile and blows smoke. Val draws. Ruth and Charlotte write.tyiu (alex again)
Darren and Alex find tasks to do. Darren is attaching clothes onto a pole. Alex dismantles his microphone experiment.
Lyndsey watches all the activity.
A ball bounces.
Ellen joins in with the chalk too.
Lights illumiate and swing in circles.
PK makes tea.
Liz continues in the corner yet we hear her breathe.
Chalk footprints across the stage.
Clothes are changed/removed.
People have constructed silent “people”. The chalk outlines on the floor, a cello case at the microphone with Alex’s hat on top, a headless hanging .scarecrow of clothing.
11.23am
Watching, contemplating. Active and passive.
Ruth continues a chalk dropping activity from the floor and colours her clothing. Scott adjusts the lights.
Darren drops his scarecrow on Val’s head.
Ruth points a light close to her chest, extremely focused on the task at hand.
Liz is illuminated and writes on the wall. Her presence becomes much stronger in the room.
PK writes form the other side of the room. What is she seeing? Alex is at the top of the seating. What is he seeing? Scott has lit certain aspects of the room. What is he seeing?
11.32 I leave the space momentarily….
11.37 yes Elly says yes, she doesn’t mind that I am doing some of the writing. It is interesting to watch how we all have no difficulty in finding something to do. I, Ellen, haven’t written big letters with chalk on the floor since I was six. It feels like painting letters to me now. The space in silence has become an art space, a sculptural space. We make. Only Lindsey sits still and observes.
11.42 Liz is wearing less and less. Stripped to knickers and camisole lost in abstract expressionist solo dance facing the right hand down stage corner. It might be a duet as Charlotte sits and watches and then writes words on the wall. Elly lies on the floor warming up and always smiles beautifully.
11.47 For me everything is new and interesting. I like to use my beginners mind.
11.49 Ellie is back for the last ten minutes. There is so much activity in the room that I could only observe and warm-up. It is different observing the room when you are not at the computer. From here you can be more removed. In the space I was surrounded by the action. I became the observed.
The room seems to be continually amused. There is doing and observing.
There is something funny in the corner with Liz and Ellen. Laughter.
11.53am
Darren keeps coming over to look at what is written. He wants to make things. This time a bed made out of the sponge shapes. Alex sits silently with his guitar.
Liz stops her activity. Ruth is still purposeful with hers.
Lyndsey is smiling as she watches.
Val is following a task proposed by PK.
Wendy arrives, it must be nearly 12 o’clock.
Darren makes a kennel for his head.
I wonder if this could go on all day.
The alarm goes and Alex plays music on his guitar.
Talking allowed again yet no-one speaks just yet. The musicians pick up their instruments and people clap.


After task discussion…

Liz – Today I found myself. I boundaried myself and made choices that I could cope with. I figure that I must stay with this space. In my house I have a room with nothing in it and that is where is work. I am used to a silent empty space. This task revealed my own processes. I have to have flesh. I have to know the music in my head. I have to boundary the space. Then I start imposing boundaries and rules in that space.
With regard to others joining the space – I liked what happened. Everything in my space seemed appropriate. I can’t bear being invaded. When the light was on it was enhanced. I am fascinated by how you set yourself up in the space. I can only work with edges and containment. The space itself seems to big. CV was writing in the space and was drawn to the containment of Liz’s task. The light pinned it into the wall. Why did Scott choose to make this lighting?
SS – I don’t know. Maybe it seemed like something I could light and then maybe that presumes there was an urge to light. It was an opportunity. I think it seemed the most obvious thing.
CV – it seemed like a little cabaret corner. It was interesting the need to have clear edges. What limits do you work against. Interesting to have someone in the space with very clear definitions. In the context of freedom that we have been working with, it is interesting.
Liz – I surprised myself with my predictability. I have two silent mentors sitting on my shoulder, who tell me how to proceed or not to proceed. They come out of a history. I am always wanting to place things in a historical context. The frame of the physical space, I am kind of pushing into a no go zone. E can only guess what was in the archive. I feel lost in a space like this without my edges.
VF – What seems to be happening. I was thinking why things are not happening now. What is it that we do for two hours. Is it a series of ideas that I am trying to have? This is something so different form me and how I trained. I don’t now my place yet. I’m not yet capable of starting and considering my performance, though I don’t know what else to call it. My starting point, I don’t know what it is. I don’t know which frame I have to put myself in.
Ellen – I just really enjoy doing what I please. Everyone is different. I just gather information and I like that. Just being in the space. I am just accepting. I love life and everything.
VF – my main question is what is happening? CV – is the real and performance you the same person.
VF – I don’t really separate myself one form the other. I don’t know what my boundaries are. LA – I have a catalogue of imagery hat I refer to and use. VF – yes but what is this?
Why are we in the space? What is the nature of the event for everybody?
What is he relation of this and the time we are in now?
AC – I went to another space and warmed up. I decided to look at what was going on in the space, and to wait for the moment when I can restart to feel free to do what I want to do. I brought the cello, the guitar, and waited. That reminded me of when in orchestra and you have to wait for the conductor.
CV – are you relating this to the 70’s happening that you have read about?
Ellen – woul dit be better if it were more familiar to you?
LB – what the question is really is why is this not happening? Its very practical reasons that these don’t happen now? It’s quite extraordinary that we are allowed this space. CV – why did you sit still for so long?
First 40 mins I loved it. Really enjoyed that particular space. Exactly same thing happened as yesterday – it is frantic in here. Tried to resist urges to do something, tried to balance the space with being still and quiet. By trying to be quiet I was going through emotional turmoil in my head. I wanted to be a quiet presence in the space.
CV – the action of your quiet presence was useful.
RBT – LB did not feel quiet in the space. Felt an urge for a connection. Felt a sense of offering and wanting a connection. You weren’t blank but communicating. Felt a lot of dialogue going on in that sense.
LB – was in a place where was stuck, felt absolutely rigid in the space. \
SS – lets keep going to hear everyone.
PK – I thought I would approach the two hours with certain rules. I like that its 2 hours. I still don’t know about being practical. I thought that I would set myself a task and just do it. I am going to write a little etiuda for Val. I felt very comfortable in my little corner. Didn’t have any urge to interact with anyone else. Felt at this moment very precious about time. Feel a need to really taste the time. Felt like I have done my task over the two hours. Although I enjoyed the fact of the light being on me.
SS – I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was very happy to spend some time with my body. It is interesting to hear that you were disturbing people (to alex). Because everyone was making loads of noise. Its an interesting question – is it a matter of decibels. Interested in the choices made, over what objects to pick up, what marks to make, who I looked at. Interesting to contextualise it as a happening. I believe this is a practise. I believe if I watch my behaviour, my fears, courage and how I act, my second guessing, that all of that is really a learning process about myself as a performer. Doing this today was really good practise for trusting myself. I left contemporary dance and started improvising as a way for me to continue. This for me was a kind of a nourishment.
The dance academy places a lot of pressure on the individual.
VF – thought to wipe everything off the stage, but thought ~I can’t.
Ellen – its ok to erase stuff. there is a lack of experiencing, sometimes our brains make a kind of warped experience. Sometimes you make a break through. You just find it and it happens. Found humour. Put on trousers to feel like a human being and not a dancer. I loved it.
Ellie - I felt detached from the whole thing. I came In and I didn’t want to warm up. So I started logging. I really enjoyed it and was hard to leave or stop logging. I had to go to the loo. Ellen was logging when I came back and so than I had to do something. So I moved a bit, than Ellen left and I went back to logging again. Was nice to watch and questioning why people were doing things. Its was my role in the space. When the logging was taken away from me I had to find a new role in the group. Its all ok!
Darren – I just made stuff. Don’t really know why – just top occupy myself. Just walked around and looked at stuff. Looking for interaction and tried to set stuff up. I could have done that without anyone else here. Ellen – you wouldn’t have done that with out anyone else here. RBT – what would you need to happen that needs the other people in the room. DA – I thrive off other people. SS – I have loads of interactions and images of you in the space. I didn’t find an interaction with other people and didn’t want to interrupt or impose or force myself on people. RBT – val waved – were you waiting for others to invite you to interact? A common human need. Were you struggling to show your need to interact.
DA – I was expecting to interact more. Thought it would just happen. RBT – there is fascinating thing about what is behind the asking/offering to interact. What’s it like to be rejected? CV – if you slow down you don’t feel like you are imposing. This is a good thing about a longer exercise. SS – value of artistic research and laboratory, what could go wrong? Generally it is a really safe environment to try stuff on. With regard to the rest of the world. DA – Can relate to [parts of it. It’s a learning thing. What’s the worst you think could happen? I don’t think its about anything bad, just the expectation that I’m not used to making those advances.
PK – thinking about being available to interact with somebody. I’ve got this tactic in me that I am always available. Knowing how hard it is, I always allow people to come to me. There is little which could upset me. I would like for someone to faciliate for me – so I made something for someone else.
RBT – I really enjoyed the exploration and really liked the journey. Started form a point of playing with outside/inside. Aware of a sense of agreed ‘warm-up’ not coming form a dance background. The notion in myself, there will be a part A and part B,which I sensed I responded to. Felt that at the end of the second hour, we could have gone on for longer. Interested me the notion of warming up for what? Experimented with just being in my body and then stepping out of it. Thinking about idea of role of outside eye and inside eye. Enjoyed those things blurring. Enjoyed the surprise, instinct and practise of being able to explore and follow a thread. Being able to explore the subtle signals other people gave to me . Stared this thing about light and seeing the light. Thinking about if the light fell and what would be the outcome. Subtle signals from others that I enjoyed following. Seeing others going with their ideas, gave a subtle signal for permission to do my own thing. The adding and responding of what was going on. Had a moment to read something and found a personal moment. Mixed tears with chalk. Realised quite a lot of practise is about being here and here, outside and inside. Was quite refreshing to do. Took pictures, set myself a documenting task thoughout which mixed into my practise. Got jealous of the light that was somewhere else. At some point I wanted contact. Had there been more time I can see what things I might have done. SS – I was disappointed that I couldn’t light you.
CV – I enjoyed the quiet. I rubbed a willy out. I drew round people. I stopped off at a shop to buy some chalk. LA – I knew you would buy chalk. CV – I read a book on the bus that I would bring in and carry on reading. Wanted to represent Wendy thoughts through writing. Two points of failing..the dancing upright with Scott & moment with Ruth with light. Caught between diverting and continuing. Felt that Ruth made herself available to highlight. So I copped out of the dance and the Ruth moment. Scott copped out. But CV could have persisted….
Is choreography mark making? So I just marked bodies. Also felt a trio between Liz moving, me writing, and scott lighting.
SS – worklights providing edges. Refocusing the lamps, do we have permission? The writing on the wall, permission?
LA – permission about doing nothing is an interesting one. We are programmed into doing things. The expectation you have on your self to achieve on a daily basis. It is alright to give permission to myself to do nothing. Hallelujah. Felt for LB as you have a need to do something.
CV – am so used to doing, that when am not doing I went into total meltdown.
Ellen – by doing nothing, you do more. It is better to do less.
LA – by stopping I started to notice that the world functioned quiet well without me being neurotic. Became engaged in how the world works and found it so absorbing. Didn’t speak yet considered toe world and gave myself permission to do something.
Wendy –felt that being silent is about words and what language is doing to the environment. Moving backwards from a situation. Being silent and giving space to things. Absence of things, erasing and editing. Grief is unexpressed gratitude. What happens when words disappear. Thinking about the way words start partitioning. Felt connected to us still.What contains a group of people spatially. Writing order to try to find form, just a logging if something. Needed to pull back a bit.
RBT – big factor in the two hours was the chalk. What if the space was completely empty, what else would have been powerful?
CV – I think I bought it in to facilitate the silence.
Lunch


This is a replay of elle elle is replaying me it is ever so silent we are all fall apart..


Recreating 12 minutes. Editing time.. Shrinking the content. Trying to capture as much a swe can.

Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence
Churchbells




Lyndsey walking
CV collecting a book
Lyndsey lying with blind fold
Ellen swining arms
Cv puts book back
Lka .a/;akmank .

Re-enactment for 12 minutes
A pleasurable act in remembering – a functional doing. It is without the stress of having to be creative. Much more functional.
The next step is to find ways to act on your opinion. You notice your own taste when organising the events.
Alex solo – was particularly nostalgic. Enjoying the steady pace of it. A lot has happened in the space so a lot will come up in the replay.
RBT – really enjoyed watching and doing it. Had the feeling people were being instinctive.
CV – it felt like you had a palate of stuff to choose from which you could then make your own decisions.
RBT – you could do it again but allow yourself to continue where you see development could happen. Would be interested to see again.
PK – the interesting thing found while doing it was that every activity was trying to find what the person was thinking at the time. What were the reasons to do someone else’s activities. Actually being in the head of other people and doing the task was more interesting. She felt she was inhabiting other people’s heads.
Ellen – you have no idea what was in the persons head. But it is about copying them.
SS – something about the ironic replaying. What’s the context of learning a movement from another person? Ellen – ballet world is not the same. It’s a whole different conversation. SS - there was something about people take on movement or learn movement. Ellen – to really learn something is a skill. It takes time and what we did today was like a replica or a copy but not the same, not learning movement.
LA – different bodies all approach it differently. i.e. Alex was very different to PK to Charlotte.
DA – just the remembrance and the pace of Alex, was quite clear as to what was going on. Be able to see the space without other people in it.
Ellen – something about the pace.
WH – something noticeable in a kind of consensus mood for each one. Somehow there was an agreement as to how the group feeling would be. SS – sounds like how human beings act. Mould to become like each other within the event. Speak at a certain tempo. That’s contextualises how to be. WH – how would it be to go against the consensus. CV – didn’t clock anyone else picked up the pace from the set before.
RBT – to go second, what did it feel like to be represented. We were picking up things from the people before. No beginning or end to anything, second group echoed the first. CV – in terms of editing, it is interesting what you miss out when involved in the functionality of the task. Is interesting what you lose.
LA – loved seeing the different versions of myself. Is so interesting – felt so important. Went through the whole spectrum, was hilarious. Because we talked about it, we all gravitated to re-enact the activity.
LB – whilst I felt that I was mapping, but took what people said earlier into account. Chose to just carry on mapping through the thought process. From sitting in the persons space stayed for longer as had the thoughts form earlier. SS – wondered from t.he replays whether it is an antidote to the activity from earlier.
RBT – felt that I wanted to have someone to hold the light, to keep the moment from earlier. Filling in the bits that were missed earlier. Doing the things that we chose not do earlier.
SS – would you consider replaying the 12 minutes (to Wendy) of your morning?
WH – a song – I’ve heard t so much I feel like I’ve written it.
CV – actually think this process is highlighting a lot of the stuff we have been going over for the last three weeks.
SS – I wanted to respond with my body in the space. Particularly when Alex was in the space with his solo. RBT – struck me this afternoon that the pressure of creating had challenges. What worked about the later stuff was that we had spent a good amount of time on the initial task so that there was more material to play with in the development stage. WH – distilling and distilling until you end up with one. A coda of one minute per person.