Anchor

I was thinking about this the other night as I was trying to fall asleep, and the next day my friend brought up the same thing.

This school creates nomads. Travelers. We pack our lives every 4 months.

And there is a part of all of us that wants that. The wandering bits of our souls.

But there is a contrary pull - the desire to create roots.

To make a place, a home, somewhere to snap back to after globe-hopping.

It is impossible to create that now, in college, but with all the moving we do, it would be nice to be able to stay put.

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Theater v. Performance Art

This post is written as a direct extension of a discussion my Intro to Visual Culture class had a few weeks ago - thoughts/reactions to the ideas and distinctions between theater and performance art.

I don't think a distinction can be drawn between the two. They are both mutually inclusive and mutually exclusive.

Theater can fall under the umbrella of performance art, performance art can be viewed as theater.

Both fall under the category of performance.

Theater is also not just a proscenium stage, with an audience, a fourth wall.

It can be many things, some that could be considered performative, some experimental, some classical, some mundane.

In my class, a plurality of people only saw theater as traditional theater, classical theater. Which it isn't.

Classical theater is the common perception of theater, but it isn't all theater can be.

Theater and performance art are the same in that they are performative and can shock and provoke and heal. I want to learn more about Romeo Castellucci and his 'theater of the image'.

Performance and theater are different in ways that can only be determined on a case by case basis.

One idea that I like but am not sure if I agree with is Marina Abramovic's differentiation - in theater the knife is fake. In performance art the knife is real.

These lines really can't be drawn. But I also know that people do draw those lines, and it is important to break them in order to move art and provoke thought.

In my own work, I don't want a clear line to be able to be drawn between theater and performance art. The notions of breaking and healing and catharsis intrigue me, as do sounds and light and video juxtaposed with text and acting.

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Cubicles

There are some administrative floors in Sama that are all cubicle offices.

It always freaks me out when I have to go to them.

Cubicles scare me. I never want to end up in a job requiring me to work in one.

There is just something about them that is so against my soul. I can't stand them.

Then there is the fact that I get easily lost in those floors, lost in a sea of cubicles.

Thoughts only enforced by the snippets of Office Space that I have seen.

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(Also, as I am writing this, the episode of "Bob's Burgers" that is playing in the background is discussing a similar fear. In that case, the fear of having to sign office birthday cards)

It's Official

From Albert (our course registration/administration page)

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Things That Might Make Responsible People Cringe Vol. 4

I decided to walk to DTC today.

At 10:30AM.

In a black t-shirt.

In 102 degree weather (38.9 C) with 21% humidity.

Without much shade because of the time of day.

At least I had water!

Summer is back.

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Our Town

Yes, I know, this is a very debated love-it-or-hate-it kind of play.

I read it for the first time today.

And I have to admit, I love it. Reading it after being in Abu Dhabi since January, it awakens a sense of nostalgia.

I recognize the small-town atmosphere, I can see the hills of New Hampshire, hear the voices, walk the paths, feel the breeze and the atmosphere.

They mention Lake Winnipesaukee, which is where I lived in my early childhood.

I also appreciate what it is saying. I could analyze it, but I don't want to.

Life, love, death, remembering.

The simplicity, the values, bring me back to my roots.

I would love to attempt to stage this in a non-traditional way, while still maintaing the emotional tone.

Say what you will about the play, but, as a homesick wanderer, it is beautiful.

"EMILY: Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? - every, every minute?

STAGE MANAGER: No. Pause. The saints and poets maybe - they do some." (Act III)

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25 Beautiful Things

One of our creative assignments for Making Theater was to list 25 things we find beautiful, in an action. While I didn't quite stick to the idea of an action or impulse, here is my list. I think it says something about me, but I am not sure what. 

1. Drums so loud they hit your entire being

2. My mom, waking up early to take care of her horse, even in below-zero weather

3. Trusting friends enough to break down in front of them

4. A forest trail, overarched by a canopy of fire-colored leaves

5. Emails that read “I’ll tell you when you get home” instead of the story

6. Power outages, oil lamps, and candles

7. Drawings made with permanent markers

8. Solitary shoes and puzzle pieces on sidewalks

9. The smell of old books

10. Crop circles made by lawnmowers

11. The sleeves of paint arms take on after letting go on a canvas

12. Ultimate players when their bodies aren’t thinking, just running and catching

13. Being able to speak to someone without speaking

14. Marina Abramovic’s artwork/sacrifice

15. Confident, androgynous dressers

16. Steeping tea at midnight, steam rising

17. Tools and scraps scattered around a workshop

18. The safelights of a darkroom, broken by the exposure of the enlargers

19. Purple stencils of tattoos

20. The story of Kali/Kala

21. The spark right before a match lights

22. Friends’ cars filled with memories and junk

23. When you see someone look in the mirror and they realize who they’ve become

24. Non-traditional colors of duct tape

25. Chemical stains on clothing from processing film all day

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