Using ideas relating to Grantham’s scientific heritage, we decided to play with the idea of manipulating ones eyes in order to create the illusion of defying gravity. After much research and deliberation, one of the methods used to produce this illusion is mirrors. The space itself is rather dull but this has allowed ‘the use of resources, substances and working practices unseen’ in this particular area.  ‘At site, it may be difficult to distinguish what is in play. Anything that has passed the boudary into performance may be pressumed significant.'(Pearson, 2010, 119) Therefor it is imperetive to transform the space into an appropriate stage. However, nothing remains neutral or decorative, and the mirrors will prove massivly significant once the performance begins.

The Anti Gravity Mirror

‘Stand the mirror on the floor or on a sturdy table. Put one leg on each side of the mirror. Shift your weight to the foot behind the mirror. Lift your other leg and move it repeatedly toward and away from the mirror. To an observer, you’ll appear to be flying.If you use this Snack as a demonstration, you can make the effect more dramatic by covering the mirror with a cloth, climbing onto the table, straddling the mirror, and then dropping the cloth as you “take off.”A person standing with the edge of a large mirror bisecting his or her body will appear whole to a person who’s watching. To the observer, the mirror image of the left half of a person looks exactly like the real right half. Or if the person is standing on the opposite end of the mirror, the right half looks like the real left half. The person looks whole because the human body is symmetrical. The observer’s brain is tricked into believing that an image of your right side is really your left side. So just straddle the mirror, raise one leg, and you’ll fly!’ (Doherty, P. (2011). Anti-Gravity Mirror. Available: http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/anti_gravity/. Last accessed 27th Feb 2014.)

Mirrors also provide an interesting role within day to day life, which we are hoping to explore. After discussing various mirror related ideas, and the varying meanings of the word reflection, the group decided to explore the ideas of mirrors in popular culture, mainly a hall of mirrors.We found it interesting how the shape of a mirror changes ones reflection, using the refraction of the light. Both concave and convex surfaces provide a different view.Using partitions to separate the room, a hall of mirrors could be constructed, encouraging the audience to consider the effects both physically and mentally.The hall would eventually lead to a small mirrored room where the audience member would discuss how the mirrors made them feel and what they thought of the project in general; whether it changed their views on science, or themselves. These conversations would be taped and used as a soundtrack for the rest of the tour creating an indivulually personal experience.

There are multiple types of mirrors avaliable for use;

“Experimental theatre has always sought other venues. This is not solely through expediency, but to challenge the notion that the auditorium is a neutral vessel of representation, and see it rather as the spatial machine of a dominant discourse which distances spectators from spectacle and literally ‘keeps them in their place’, in the dark, sitting in rows, discouraging eye contact and interaction.”

(Pearson, M. (1997), ‘Special Worlds, Secret Maps: A Poetics of Performance’, in Taylor, A. (ed.), Staging Wales: Welsh Theatre 1979-1997, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1997, 85-99, 94

The George Centre, Grantham, was erected on the site of the old George Hotel – once an impressive local hostelry built in 1780 – and still retains many of its fine features including the Oriel windows, carved staircase and cornices. In 1990 the site was converted into an indoor shopping centre, using the architectural splendour of the former hotel, which is now a listed building. Although the George Hotel was built during the reign of George III – following a fire which wiped out many properties in that area – there had been a hostelry on the site for at least three centuries before that. As a coaching inn, the George was a popular overnight stop between London and the North, endorsed by Charles Dickens who in Nicholas Nickleby described it as one of the finest inns in England. Grantham is a growing market town with a population of approximately 35,000 and a catchment area of 85,000. Ideally situated in the heart of the East Midlands, Grantham sits on the junction of the A1 and A52. Nottingham, Leicester and Peterborough are all within a 40 mile radius and London is approximately 75 minutes away by high-speed train from Grantham railway station.

(Pearce, H. (2012). The George and Grantham. Available: http://www.thegeorgecentre.com/thegeorge.htm. Last accessed 28th Feb 2014.)

As a result of being given disused shops within the centre to perform in, one of the major obstacles to tackle would be audience movement and interaction, how to encourage the audience to enter and become part of out performance, with ‘no formal arrangement of performers and audience.’ (Pearson, 2013, 156). This kind of freedom within a performance gives both parites an entirely individual perspective and experience, depending on where they are situated.  Breaking down the boudaries of audience performer space really excites me, especially as we are hopefully working with the concept of manipulating ones eyesite in order to appear to be defying gravity.

So it’s been a while since I actually wrote a blog, and I’ve never done one worth noting, so here’s my best academic attempt.

To begin with I shall examine what exactly is site specific? Patrice Pavis proposed in 1998 that a play-as-event belongs to the space. The observations relate specificall to practices origionating in theatre. He resists distinguishing common features, focusing upon process rather than object. Fiona Wilke on the other hand argues that the performance is a reaction against the site, instead of being comfortable merging with the resonances of the site. Essentially she is saying instead of peforming something  fitting with the setting (a religious play in a church) one should consider performing something contrasting (sci-fi in a church).

Taking this into consideration, the retail setting no longer seems so daunting. Intergrating ideas relating to science, specifically physics, into a performance becomes easier to comprehend once an understanding of site is achieved. Therefor, the group have collectivly colaberated to establish aims and objectives of the piece.

The key concept is Newtons law, specifically gravity, which leads to the idea of core vs core, refering to the core of the earth i.e. gravity, and ones personal core aka core strength. It is suitable to recognise this project as an opportunity to stretch the transferability of performance into other industries, creating a fluidity; a clean transition , crossing the boundaries or limitations separating Performance and Science through interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary means; that is to suggest an integration of knowledge and methods from different disciplines by means of a pre-conceived synthesis approach or indeed individuals  of differing disciplines drawing on their disciplinary knowledge forming into a pseudo-amalgamation of vision or perhaps of a development of a ‘bank of knowledge’.

As I have an immense passion when it comes to shopping you would have thought I’d be overjoyed at the idea of using a retail setting for site specific. I’m not. I have no ideas what to do or anything relating to retail. I have a million relating to Grantham. Margret Thatcher, Issac Newton……….we’re performing in the George centre which is called that because it was visited by King George. Basically Grantham has a rich tapestry of history and culture I’d love to explore. I also love the idea of using science within a piece, specifically physics.