Performance Assignment 9/19

Title: A Room With A View

Statement of Intention:  To explore performance being perceived as performance as seen by strangers across the alley from my apartment.

Objects: 1 performer, 1 apartment, several audience members on the adjacent balcony.

Directions:  The audience should be made aware of the performance by the performative qualities of the performer, who is free to move as he likes within the space.

Conclusion: The performance concludes when the performer decides it is over.

Reflection: This performance took place in the apartment I am currently subletting.  There is a balcony across the alley from me facing the wall of windows in my apartment.  The space is very much exposed.  Last night, there was a group of five young people hanging out on the balcony.  Without thinking, I dove into the performance. 

At first, no one noticed me.  I was moving around the apartment using very stylized gestures, although I quickly realized that these were not big enough to distract my audience from their own conversations.  Eventually I turned up the volume on my movement and I noticed that they were starting to pay attention to me more and more.  I took advantage of all of the furniture in the living room: I danced on the table, jumped between the sofas, rolled on the floor, etc.  After about seven minutes of this improvisation, I decided it was over and turned towards my audience, bowed, and closed the shades.

I did not have time to “prepare” for this performance.  I saw an opportunity and took it immediately.  Had I known that these people were going to be on the balcony last night, I probably would have prepared the space a bit more, although there is definitely something to be said for the spontanaety of it all.  I also was fully aware that there would be no consequences from my actions; I am only subletting this apartment.  In a month, I will be gone.  If I were actually living here, I may not have felt as comfortable creating this particular performance.  Also, because of the immediacy of the performance, I did not have the chance to video it, although I do not believe I would have video taped it anyway.  I feel that adding a video recorder to the performance changes it, because the performance becomes split between two directions - that of the audience and that of the video recorder.  Ultimately, I was very happy with the performance.  We’ll see if my audience will return tonight...