Audience behind the Glass

After much reconsideration and deliberation, the original idea of a ‘mirror room’, has been replaced with a more practical and economic thought. In order to both engage an audience, and keep a scientific relevance, the group decided on a glow in the dark piece. Inspired by the America’s Got Talent group, ‘Fighting Gravity’, the performance be held in an entirely blacked out room, with glow in the dark paint, and a sheet of perspex through the center, separating performer from audience. Not only will this be visually stimulating, but it challenges the proxemics of the performance. Standard site performances are usually ‘thrown  together in sociopetal arenas, sites where the audience is thrown into proximity.’ (Pearson, 2010, 175).  The audience will feel close to the performers, however there will still be a barrier. Although, as only two out of the four performers shall be behind the perspex at any time, the others shall integrate into the audience, becoming both a performer and observer. Performing behind the perspex adds another layer as an’ auditorium often locates a performance as ‘over there’, necessitating  projection and a particular economy of physical and vocal rhetoric, site-specific performers may be ‘just here’, ‘up close’.’ (Pearson, 2010, 176). This ‘behind the glass’ effect also conjours thoughts of mannequins behind a shop window, relating directly to the retail aspect of the site.

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