Money- an experimental-theatre with brilliant stage design

I strong recommend whom interesting in setting design visiting Shunt for "Money" ( Name of the play which basic on Zola's nineteenthcentury novel 'L'Argent', about financial speculation ). The play showed in a brilliant design stage which is a metal cube as you can see from the photo. The theatre is in a warehouse which is a bar where audience would have a cup of drink before the show stars.

The theatre space (cube) is divided into three floors, and auditorium are two lines of seat opposite to each other on the first floor. The first and second layer of floor are made of perspex glass, which means audiences sitting in the first can have an angle of looking up watching performing on second or voyeuristically peer acting space below. What intriguing images are showed. Not like traditional theatre watching play in front of you. And the well combination of lighting design greatly present this special acting space. During the play, audiences will be invited to the upper floor which is a cube glass stage, where can view voyeuristically acting below through perspex glass, like the floor below audience( first floor) and the floor below that. Standing on the second floor peer the lowest stage which is is divided in two rooms, a livingroom which is 19th century style with a pram, the other room is a sauna with two men lying there.

What is more, this is an interactive performance. Actor transport audience in to the play being one part of this play. For instance, during the play, they began to earn more and more money, audiences were invited to upper floor having a cup of free champagne. This scene: audiences with champagne is one part of the celebration.

Can not describe clearly of this play's cuttingedge stage design due to my poor English. What I try is to share something new and creative in our study area.

Gift-- A Moment When They Were Giving Their Points Of View

Gift- One Week Project-My understanding of gift

At the begining, I wanted to make a video which is giving gifts to people in the street and record their reactions when they were given a gift from a stranger. There would be many different reactions when a stranger give you a gift, Some want to know what is the free gift is? And is free, why not? Some who do not believe nowaday society has free gifts refuse.

However, I changed my mind, because it is not my understanding of gift. I re-though: what is gift?How to present? ... Then I interviewed students, some I already know, some I haven not met befor, in our college, woodwork shop, BA painting studio, theatre and our studio, about their view point of gift, and they are happy to help even some of them I have not met before. During the interview, when they were talking about their understanding of gift, I found that is gift for me. What is amazing is that they did not noticed that is gift, and that is my understanding of gift, give without giving back and you do not notice that is a gift when you give it to other. I made a video recording the moment, a gift, and say "thank you" to who being interviewed at the end of the video.

What is more, I notice that, some of our classmate did very well in this project. After they presented their works, which created a discussion. We kept on talking, thinking and discussing basic on their works. It is so great.

HOW TO DEFINE A PIECE OF WORK OF ART

How to define a piece of work of art?

The boundary between art and life becomes vague. Last weekend, saw a piece of art work which is mirror presenting on the wall as other normal paintings in an exhibition room. I stood in front of this piece watching another me on an opposite world. Yes, the mirror in this exhibition defiantly is a piece of art work, however, if it was presenting in my bedroom, it would be a normal mirror only. Therefore, a question that how to define a object as an piece of art work make me thinking. According to the theme Mimisis which basic define art as a reflection of life. However , performance is not a reflection of life and not express a pre-existing identity, but embody certain social and historical possibilities and engender identity through these acts. How to define all these concept? Performance which is not a reflection of life also belongs to art ( according to the theme Mimisis) which is reflecting life. So, I am confuse.

When it comes to my personal research, I am trying to film a few minutes's video which is basic of daily stuff to raise a concept about a relationship between human being and society, and I don not have any professional filming skill, Thus, will my practical video looks like a normal one only filming for fun? How to make it close to art? Concept first or must basic on skill or must both?

Black fear -- an event being created by the participation of visitors

Black fear--installation--event

Black fear, an rt piece created by Miroslaw Balka, which people walking in the darkness and don not know the end until hit the end. Reducing sense of vision leads to increase other, like listing and feeling, being more sensitive, thus, an tension is being created by the darkness space, which is visiting with strongly feeling and various emotions are being inspired as well.

 My personal thinking after visiting the black, it is a chance to truly experience your life. Why? It is reflection of life that each day people keep moving, working hard, to achieve aims one by one and we never know what our future looks like, but keep moving. And during walking in the darkness, black metal box and because you can not see clearly, you feel uncomfortable and being careful. Some one past by you, or hit on some one and so on. And all of these are parts of life that involving happiness, suffering or feeling lost...Therefore, Black fear is more than an installation, is an event being created by the participation of visitors and experience.

Theatre: how to present performing which is two or more activities acting at the same time but different time or space? ?

Theatre: how to present performing which is two or more activities acting at the same time but different time or space? ?

 

In theatre, a scene which is two issues happen in the same time but different locations or same location but different time is familiar, therefore, I want to do some textings about showing more than one 3 dimension on the stage at the same time. For example, how to present performing which is two or more activities acting at the same time but different time or space?

Currently, I took some photos at the same location and different time in one day, then combined them as one. Through this photo could you feel time existing (or time pasting)? Could you see a set of activities happen at the same time? Or various emotions involved? This practice is inspired by David Hochney's arr works, stage design. His design, like Die Frau Ohne Schatten and Magic Flute, one play has more than twenty different scenes combining different set of lighting to issue story, which greatly impressed me.

Since my research is about communication of digital media in theatre which is difficult for traditional theatre to achieve. I am thinking, what kind of skills (like projection?) could achieve that live acting ? Must well combine with the live play's setting? And what else? Will audience still feel like watching a feel but play?