Arcade Fire I-pod Choir

Hi Beds,

Tomorrow all of your hard work will pay off!

So maybe on Sunday, you can go relax and listen/experience the Arcade Choir. (description below)

Good luck with the show!

-Tamara

"Forty singers stand in the middle of a room. They are not professional singers, though some of them might be. They all have iPods, and on every single one of those iPods is the Arcade Fire album “Funeral”. At a signal, they all press play and, the album loud in their ears, start to sing the opening strains of the first song of the album.

Now this singing won’t be very pretty. They’re singing not only the words, but the instruments as well. People are encouraged to hum, howl, beatbox, make any noise that will translate the songs to the audience better.

Not everyone will know all the words. The people in the choir will have listened to the album plenty of times, but not very carefully. They know how the song goes, but won’t necessarily know the lyrics. Or know them correctly.

Because the music in their ears is so loud, they won’t be able to hear themselves, their neighbours, or the sound of all of them collectively. This might result in some very bad singing, but the choir is encouraged to sing their hearts out, the way one does when you’re in the shower and only singing for the joy of it.

They sing the first five songs, then break for an intermission. (Singing is sweaty, thirsty work.) Then they come back and finish the album off.

It could be beautiful, or it could be a disaster. Or it could be a beautiful disaster.

3997 Boul. St-Laurent
(just south of Duluth, it’s the black door with the flames painted on it)
Montreal, QC
Sunday, December 6th, 2009.
9-11 PM
$5 at the door

PLEASE NOTE: This event is an independent event and is NOT affiliated with, NOR has it been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by the Arcade Fire, nor any of its labels. This event doesn't want to lead consumers to believe that there is an association with the Arcade Fire nor that this crazy event is approved or endorsed by the Arcade Fire, in any fashion whatsoever. WE ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARCADE FIRE! WE ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARCADE FIRE! WE ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARCADE FIRE! (THOUGH WE FIND THEIR MUSIC CHARMING.)"

Ian's Choreography Script

Ian's Updated Vignette. Actual script coming soon...

Hey guys,

The following is my finalized plan for the first vignette. I added all the numberings that were lacking in the previous version and I believe the general idea is more concrete than before. All that remains is the actual instructions, which I shall complete tomorrow – I would have finished them off right now but I am ridiculously tired. Mike, Whitney, and Kyle have finished their respective parts and I believe they have already sent out their finished products to the sound crew – perhaps they shall upload them sometime in the near future. Enjoy!

Ian Gerald King

Ian’s Choreography: Vignette of Isolation
Choreography for the SJ2:BED project

Context
- This is the first main portion of themed choreography, following the introductory sequence.
- The order of choreography will be: (1) Ian’s Isolation, (2) Mike’s Restraint, (3) Whitney’s Dinner Party, (4) Kyle’s Tree & Well, and (5) Chu’s Lovers.
- Simply stated, the mood of the unified piece progresses from stark loneliness to a gradual immersion into the social sphere. Perhaps the music group can play on this quality to emphasize the moods that the participants should try to convey.

Players:
- There are 6 individuals, and the following is a list of the special roles they fulfill throughout the 5 vignettes:
#1 – the bedridden and isolated protagonist
#2 – shares the bed with #1 in the first and third vignette
#3 – killer in the third vignette, lover in the fifth vignette
#4 – doctor in the second vignette
#5 – first twin, has a special role in the introductory sequence
#6 – second twin

*Note: I cannot provide accurate estimates of how long each portion will take since I am not sure of the exact time it will take for one to walk the distances described below.

General Choreography

Scene 1
- The bed is situated upstage, house right
- #1 lies in the bed while #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 surround the bed from its exposed side. #2 is in the center with #3 on his left side and #5 on his right; #4 is to the left of #3 and #6 is to the right of #5.
- After 10 seconds, the group of onlookers walk diagonally down-stage house left and conglomerate in a pentagonal formation, with the base facing down-stage and the point facing up-stage.
- If you are to imagine the pentagon as a human body, lying face up, with feet down-stage and the head up-stage, then the following shall be their positions: #2 is the right leg, #5 is the left leg, #3 is the right arm, #6 is the right arm, and #4 is the head.
- #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 are all ‘conversing’ (instructed to move their mouths and make gestures with their body). The general mood is pomposity.
- Meanwhile, as all this is taking place #1 has been rolling around violently from side to side in his bed. Several seconds after the main group begins the ‘conversation,’ #1 stops rolling around and lays still for 5 seconds.
- #1 lowers the blanket to his waist, sits up and points at the group of adults with his right arm.
- When #1 points at the group, the group is instructed to freeze into a tableau and #1 does likewise. Hold for 10 seconds and then commence Scene 2.

Scene 2
- #1 lowers his pointing arm, gets out of bed and begins walking in a straight line down-stage. Once reaching the periphery of the stage, #1 turns stage right and begins walking towards the conversing group.
- #1 will be instructed to move along in a slow and sombre manner (melancholic music would help to set the mood). Hands held behind his back, head looking towards the floor, feet dragging, and overall depression permeating.
- Throughout the duration of #1’s progress towards the group, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 should be maintaining spontaneous and natural interaction. Some hugs here, some laughs there, and a general comfortable atmosphere should persist. They should appear as though they have known each other for years.
- When #1 approached the group he taps the shoulder of the closest member (either #5 or #6, but it doesn’t matter since they’re the twins) he comes into contact with. When the tap occurs, the individual being tapped freezes into a tableau. #2, #3, and #4 will be instructed to freeze as soon as they see #5 or #6 freeze.
- Perplexed at this phenomena, #1’s depression turns into frustration and anxiety. Proceed to Scene 3.

Scene 3
- Frustrated, yet entirely curious as to the nature of the phenomena presented before him, #1 begins walking counter clockwise around the group. #1 commences by tapping #6 on the left shoulder and receives no reply. Then, #1 steps lightly on #4’s left foot, but receives no reply. Next, #1 touches the head of #3 and/or passes his hands through #3’s hair yet without reply. Subsequently, #1 places his left hand on the right shoulder of #2 and attempts to shake him, but no reply is made. Finally, #1 gets to #5 and does nothing physical. #1 walks into the center of the pentagon and stares #5 straight in the face for 5 seconds. Immediately, #1 breaks down in the center, curls up into a foetal position, on his left side, and faces the general direction of his bed.
- As he walks around them he pokes and taps them as if they were statues – frustration increases as he comes closer to the point of origin from where the circuitous route began. Once #1 reaches his point of origin, the frustration turns back into depression.

Scene 4
- 5 seconds after #1 lies on the floor, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 unfreeze and begin to end their get-together.
- #5 shakes hands with #6, while #3 shakes hands with #4, mean while #2 is left out
- #2 crosses his arms turns 180° and bows his head in sadness. Stays like this until the two pairs begin to leave.
- As they shake hands, and wave, the two pairs (#3 & #4 #5 & #6) are completely ignorant of the child laying on the floor between them, as their eyes should never look down. Also they don’t notice the rejected #2 standing dismally by himself.
The group breaks then begin to occur:
- When the pairs begin to move, #2 stays in his location, keeps his eyes fixed on the floor, uncrosses his arms, and gets down on his left knee. He/She should begin to assume a pondering position. More specifically, left knee down, right knee up, right elbow resting on right knee, chin resting on right clenched fist, head slightly tilted to the right, and looking ponderously into space. (Reflecting on his solitude).
- #5 & #6 walk several steps past the center of the stage and face the house right wall with their right sides exposed to the audience. #5 will rest his left arm on #6’s right shoulder and when that occurs, both shall freeze into a tableau.
- #4 takes 2 broad steps forward, followed by #3 taking 3 steps forward (or however many necessary to be perfectly in-line with #4). Both #4 & #3 face the house right wall and take 4 steps forward. After the fourth step, both turn 90° to their left and face the up-stage wall. #4 puts his left hand on the right shoulder of #3and uses his right hand to point directly in front of him at a 120° angle to his body (pointing to the horizon). #3 looks in the direction of the pointing finger and then both freeze into a tableau.
- Overall, the two groups should display a sense of togetherness, which #1 so greatly desires.
- 5 seconds after the adults have frozen into their tableaus, the child gets up and begins Scene 5.

Scene 5
- No longer depressed or frustrated, #1 should exude a general air of indifference. The music playing for him should be upbeat, but casually so.
- First, #1 observes #2 curiously as #2 continues to ponder. #1 reaches out to touch #2, but hesitates and then retracts his hand.
- #1 then walks up to #3 & #4, from behind and tries to see what #4 is pointing at. #1 stares for 5 seconds.
- Next, #1 walks up to #5 & #6 and rests his left arm on #6’s right shoulder and holds it there for 5 seconds. During this time, #1 is trying to make out what the two are looking at, but then decidedly gives up.
- #1 should resemble someone at a wax museum, imitating the poses he’s witnessing.
- Finally, #1 walks towards his bed, and rolls over on his left side. The position should be, for a lack of a better term, “semi-foetal” as #1 faces away from the audience. Scene 6 then gets underway.

Scene 6
- 5 seconds after #1 falls ‘asleep’ (lies down on his left side in the semi-foetal position), the pondering #2 stands up, turns around and walks directly towards the #1’s bed. The walking motion should be confident, imbued with purpose, and with a moderate speed.
- #2 lies down back to back with #1, although in an inverse position: #2’s feet are at #1’s head while #2’s head is at #1’s feet; #2’s face is towards the audience, whereas the #1’s is away from the audience.

The End – transition to Mike’s vignette of Restraint.

Mike Lake's Choreography

Here is what Mike wrote up for the sound people. I think it's exactly what we were looking for. If we can get your scripts (whether or not they are in this format) asap that would be great because we need to record everything by friday.
Thanks,
Annik

Choreography

-Begins with Person #1 lying in bed underneath a sheet. Person #2 – 6 are scattered around the room.
-#2 makes her way to the bed, choosing a corner. #3 makes her way to the bed, choosing another corner. #5 and #6 do the same. #4 remains watching from a distance.
-#2,3,5,6 each take a corner of the bed sheet, pulling it taut over P1. They hold it in place.
-#4 joins at the head of the bed (N.B. In order for #1 to sense #4 approaching, perhaps her audio is silent at this point, or audio that draws attention to this approaching doctor figure)
-[#4 takes a mirror from under the bed and holds it in front of face of #1 while the others keep the sheet taut]
-#6 restrains #1’s head.
-#2,3,5,6 discard the top sheet and take a corner from the sheet underneath #1. They gather it with the person across from them, enveloping #1.
-#4 releases #1’s head and begins to circle the bed slowly, running her hands along the outside of the enveloping sheet.
-#2 drops her corner of the sheet and begins circling the bed, following #4. #3 drops her corner and follows suit. #5 and #6 drop the sheet and circle. #2,3,5,6 are now marching audibly around the bed.
-#2,3,5,6 form a line parallel to the head of the bed. #1 has the strain to see them. The line snakes to the foot of the bed, lead by #4.
-#2,3,5,6 disperse, leaving #4 alone with #1.
-#4 circles the bed one last time, slow and deliberate. He leaves.

Script for #1 (Patient in bed)

-There are no explicit instructions for this character, as they are in bed for the duration of the scene. Music and sound effects, then, could highlight the mood of the action taking place around the bed (i.e. being restrained, enveloped in a sheet, being inspected/being on display). The main focus for the patient, though, should be the tension between him/her and the doctor. Whenever the doctor walks, or circles the bed, the patient’s audio could be the sound of approaching footsteps, or something that makes him/her hyperaware of the doctor’s presence.

Script for # 4 (Doctor)

-Voice: “Put on your lab coat.”

-Intro (15 – 20 seconds of “mood music”)

-Voice: “See your patient in bed? See them? See your patient in bed? See them?”

-[“filler” – something synched with the audio of #1 in bed to create tension between them. This continues until all four people have arrived at the bed and have pulled the sheet taut over the patient. Estimated 45 seconds.]

-Voice: “See your patient in the bed? See them? Walking very slowly, make your way to the head of the bed. When you get there, you must restrain the patient’s head.”

-[sound of slow footsteps]

-[“filler” until the others have gathered the sheet underneath the patient and have enveloped him/her in it.]

-Voice: “Slowly circle the bed. Never lose sight of your patient. Circle the bed.” (this circling should be long enough to build tension. Perhaps 15 seconds or so) “Once you’ve circled twice, gesture to the others to form a line at the head of the bed. (pause to give time for the line to form.) Inspect your patient. Go to the foot of their bed. Again, gesture to the others to form a line at the foot of the bed. (pause to give time for the line to form.) Inspect your patient.”

-Voice: (after the others have dispersed) “Walk very slowly around the bed, inspecting your patient. When you think they can be safely left alone, you may take off your jacket and leave.”


Script for #2 and #3 (Nurse/Caretaker)

- Intro (15 – 20 seconds of “mood music”)

-Voice: “See your patient in bed? See them? Go to them. Stand at an empty corner of their bed.”

- [“filler” while waiting for remaining people to arrive at the bed, estimated 30 seconds in total]

-Voice: (synchronized with the other caretakers) “Grab a hold of a sheet corner and pull it taut over your patient.”

-[“filler” while the doctor makes his/her way to the bed. Perhaps something thematic, along the lines of restraint/doctors&patients/hospital sounds, etc..]

-Voice: “Release the top sheet. Undo the fitted sheet underneath it. Take a corner, lift it high, and gather it with the person across from you, as if you are folding the sheet in half.”

-Voice: (after the doctor has begun to circle the bed) “Follow the doctor.”

-[“filler” from when they circle the bed until they’ve formed the second line. This final instruction should come after the doctor is told to “inspect the patient”]

-Voice: “The doctor would like to be alone with the patient now. Please leave.”

Script for #5 (Nurse/Caretaker)

-Intro (15 – 20 seconds of “mood music”)

-Voice: “See your patient in bed? See them? See your patient in bed? See them?” (This is repeated until #2 and #3 have arrived at the bed.)

-Voice: “Go to them. Stand at an empty corner of their bed.”

-[“filler” while the others make their way to the bed]

-Voice: (synchronized with the other caretakers) “Grab a hold of a sheet corner and pull it taut over your patient.”

-[“filler” while the doctor makes his/her way to the bed. Perhaps something thematic, along the lines of restraint/doctors&patients/hospital sounds, etc..]

-Voice: “Release the top sheet. Undo the fitted sheet underneath it. Take a corner, lift it high, and gather it with the person across from you, as if you are folding the sheet in half.”

-Voice: (after the doctor and #2 and #3 have begun to circle the bed) “Follow the doctor.”

-[“filler” from when they circle the bed until they’ve formed the second line. This final instruction should come after the doctor is told to “inspect the patient”]

-Voice: “The doctor would like to be alone with the patient now. Please leave.”


Script for # 6 (Nurse/Caretaker)

- Intro (15 – 20 seconds of “mood music”)

-Voice: “See your patient in bed? See them? See your patient in bed? See them?” (This is repeated until #2, #3, and #5 have arrived at the bed.)

-Voice: “Go to them. Stand at an empty corner of their bed.”

-Voice: (synchronized with the other caretakers) “Grab a hold of a sheet corner and pull it taut over your patient.”

-[“filler” while the doctor makes his/her way to the bed. Perhaps something thematic, along the lines of restraint/doctors&patients/hospital sounds, etc..]

-Voice: “Release the top sheet. Discard it. Throw it aside. Undo the fitted sheet underneath it. Take a corner, lift it high, and gather it with the person across from you, as if you are folding the sheet in half.”

-Voice: (after the doctor, #2, #3, and #5 have begun to circle the bed) “Follow the doctor.”

-[“filler” from when they circle the bed until they’ve formed the second line. This final instruction should come after the doctor is told to “inspect the patient”]

-Voice: “The doctor would like to be alone with the patient now. Please leave.”

another bed with furry animals

2009-11-16

Hi Beds!
I was so excited with the ideas you brought last friday. You had done a good job. Please don't forget to put on the blog to be 'on tune'. Ok!
See you!
enrique

Suggestions and Reminders

Hey, Bedheads. I thought I’d write a few reminders as you guys start finalizing the project.


As mentioned in our last session, there is a wealth of ideas choreography-wise. Remember, you have 15 minutes. If you choose to have two 15-minute sections, incorporating the audience idea, then you can include more choreography. Be ruthless and cut what is not needed. Remember, a simple concept well-executed is worth more than a complex idea done in a lame way. No one can see inside your head, they can only see what you present. So logistics matter as much as, maybe even more than, your concept. Sometimes logistics can dictate your concept, which may be a good thing. So stay open and flexible but be rigorous in your execution. Ditch what you cannot do.


Remember that simple actions can create interesting images. When we did our improvisations in the first session, simple actions began to tell complex stories because there was also space for the viewer to project his/her own interpretation onto the piece.


The goal of the next session is to have a rough cut of the 15-minute installation or installations, if you use the audience idea. This means, instructions must be recorded and mixed with the music/sound etc. If it’s not the final music or sound you want to use or not great quality, it doesn’t matter. It's a dry run to check out what can be put into the 15 minutes and if the instructions are clear, etc. The goal is to give the mp3 players to people in the class (ie. not in the choreography group) and see if they can follow the directions. Slap it together because you need to have something concrete to refine for December 4th.


It would be great to test this out in an open space. I am sure we cannot use the theatre. If you guys think of anywhere that we can go just to test it out, that would be great. Are there any rehearsal rooms or anything? I will ask Alanna and see if she has any ideas.

Talk soon!

- Stacey

Choreography as Seen Through the Camera's Eye

Hi! Here's the Spiral Jetty 1 installation highlights.

As well, here's the Afterlife installation highlights (The Studio 303 Andy Warhol Factory Project).

These 2 videos will also give you an idea of what the mp3 player instructions sounded like.

And just in case you'd like to see the end results again, here's links to the 3 Spiral Jetty movies..

The Shared Fate

When The Fish Also Floated With Burst Intestines

Bardol Thodol or Liberation by Hearing on the After-Death Plane

see you all soon,

-Tamara

More Vignettes

To add a little to what Ian explained: The vignettes we have prepared come from the "dream" portion, which will take up the majority of the fifteen minutes. Before and after this section will be a hum-drum "reality" scene, that repeats almost exactly. We discussed the idea of possibly having one variation in the second-coming of this scene at the end. Perhaps, a prop from the dream world is in the "reality" scene the second time it occurs.
Here are other vignettes from our group:
"Dinner" Whitney
(the image goes with this one)
Scene one:
first couple arrives at dinner party, begin to walk over from front left corner
#1 is in bed; #4 is in centre of stage; #5/#6 are downstage left; #2 is upstage left; #3 is downstage right
Scene two:
greet the couple with formal manners; kiss each on the hand
#5/#6 joins centre stage
Scene three:
seat the couple by the bed
#1 brings #5/#6 over to stage right
Scene four:
greet next guest with kiss on each cheek
#2 joins #4 centre stage
Scene five:
bring other guest rather rudely
#4 gets #3 from downstage
Scene six:
everyone is seated for dinner/around bed
#2-6 all get cutlery from underbed/mattress; begin to “eat”
Scene seven:
one chokes, rest of guests ignore, look at him/her as if rude interruption
#3 stands up, puts hands to throat, steps backward, drops to knees, lies down, eyes shut
Scenes eight, nine, and ten:
couple removes the eyesore from the table in utilitarian fashion
#5/#6 drag #3 from downstage right to left
while, #4 stands up and takes off belt, laying it across the belt, then sits back down
also, #2 begins to eat with less manners, no cutlery, no one takes notice
Scene eleven:
#5/#6 return to spots around bed/table; return to meal; E still no manners
#3 stays passed out
Scene twelve:
#2 gets in bed with #1, under covers, give allusion of sexual play
other guests take no notice, continue eating politely
while, #3 begins to stir
Scenes thirteen and fourteen:
#3 hijacks the dinner party
#3 moves diagonally across stage from downstage left to upstage right toward bed
holding hands as if in gun pointed at others; #1,#2,#4,#5,#6 put their hands on their heads
(possibly #1&#2 a little delayed because distracted)
Scene fifteen:
#3 directs the others to form a line
#2 gets out of bed, follows #4, #5/#6 crawl across bed to follow others into line
Scenes sixteen to eighteen:
#3 joins end of line and directs it downstage
shoots all except #1, then commits suicide, #1 watching in horror

"Restraint" Mike
-Begins with Person #1 lying in bed underneath a sheet. Person #2 – 6 are perhaps scattered around the room (depending on how the previous episode ends).
-#2 makes her way to the bed, choosing a corner. #3 makes her way to the bed, choosing another corner. #5 and #6 do the same. #4 remains watching from a distance.
-#2,3,5,6 each take a corner of the bed sheet, pulling it taut over P1. They hold it in place.
-#4 joins at the head of the bed (N.B. In order for #1 to sense #4 approaching, perhaps her audio is silent at this point, or audio that draws attention to this approaching doctor figure)
-[#4 takes a mirror from under the bed and holds it in front of face of #1 while the others keep the sheet taut]
-#6 restrains #1’s head.
-#2,3,5,6 discard the top sheet and take a corner from the sheet underneath #1. They gather it with the person across from them, enveloping #1.
-#4 releases #1’s head and begins to circle the bed slowly, running her hands along the outside of the enveloping sheet.
-#2 drops her corner of the sheet and begins circling the bed, following #4. #3 drops her corner and follows suit. #5 and #6 drop the sheet and circle. #2,3,5,6 are now marching audibly around the bed.
-#2,3,5,6 form a line parallel to the head of the bed. #1 has the strain to see them. The line snakes to the foot of the bed, lead by #4.
-#2,3,5,6 disperse, leaving #4 alone with #1.
-#4 circles the bed one last time, slow and deliberate. He leaves.

"Invading Privacy" Kyle
Roles:
#1 is bed ridden
Persons 2-6 comprise the others
Persons 5 & 6 comprise the twins

#1 sits on knees bed center. The others are all wearing shoes. They step onto bed simultaneously (#2, #3, and #4 from R and the #5 and #6 from L) and cage round A in a pentagon formation while standing on the bed. Their arms and hands are extended towards the ceiling. They are kneading the bed with their feet. They stop kneading. They place their hands onto each other's shoulders to form a ring. They hold this position. The sound of a water droplet falling into a deep basin plays over and over through A's ipod. Twins will answer a set of questions. Persons #5 and #6 will have a conversation. 4 will make siren, then animal, then siren, then animal, then beeping, then operatic sounds. They are all speaking at once. The others stop. They all work their way down onto their knees with their arms still interconnected in a ring while #1 simultaneously rises. #1 is standing on the Bed, the others are kneeling. The others release their arms. They all look upwards at #1 in unison. #1 is instructed to look about himself/herself, to feel the air, to explore the space with his/her fingertips and arms.

Update on Choreography & Writing + Ian's Vignette

Hey guys,

The Choreography & Writing group met at Whitney’s place last Thursday for a brainstorm session. What they came up with (I arrived in the middle of the meeting when most of the ideas had already been exhausted) was that the 15 minutes allotted to the performance should be divided up into 5 separate vignettes that express a particular theme, with transitions in between. The vignettes are each roughly 2 minutes long and transition will be just over a minute apiece, although this may be subject to change depending upon what we decide in our meeting this Thursday. Anyhow, the themes are as follows: (1) dinner, (2) constraint, (3) child/isolation, (4) lovers, and (5) invading privacy. The transition ideas are still in the rough, but some of the spontaneous ideas we came up with involved: (1) general wanton playfulness, (2) moving beds, and (3) exorcism/chanting. We will clarify our transitions in the next meeting when we all bring our finalized vignettes – it’s hard to use cement without the bricks in place. That being said, I just finished my vignette and thought it would be nice to share it with you all. Enjoy!

Vignette of Isolation
By: Ian Gerald King
Approximate time: 2 minutes

Characters
· 6 individuals

- 1 individual is to emulate the role of a ‘child’

- 5 individuals are to emulate the role of ‘adults’

Scene 1

· The scene begins with the adults surrounding the child in his bed, in the upper right corner of the stage. The adults make comforting gestures despite not actually caring for the child.
· Immediately, the adults congregate in the lower left corner of the stage to partake in ‘adult affairs.’ They face each other in a circular arrangement and engage in interaction.
· Gestures should reflect feigned sophistication and several should occasionally sip from an imaginary glass of wine.
· The whole time the child is not sleeping. He is restless in his bed, tossing and turning and unable to sleep. Eventually he stops writhing and technically falls asleep (although he is not aware of this – perhaps an element of dramatic irony could manifest itself if the audience can catch on to the subtleties). Following the cessation of movement the child turns his head and stares blankly at the adults (this is the beginning of his dream phase, one which he is not consciously aware of). He lowers the blanket to his waist, sits up and points at the group of adults with his right arm.
· When the child points at the group of adults, both the adults and the child freeze into a tableau. Hold for 10 seconds and then commence Scene 2

Scene 2

· The child lowers his pointing arm, gets out of bed and begins walking in a straight line towards the audience. Once reaching the periphery of the stage, the child turns to his right and begins walking towards the group of adults.
· The general motion of the child should be slow and sombre. Hands held behind his back, head looking towards the floor, feet dragging, and overall depression permeating.
· Throughout the duration of the child’s progress towards the adults, they should be maintaining spontaneous and natural interaction. Some hugs here, some laughs there, and a general comfortable atmosphere should persist. They should appear as though they have known each other for years.
· When the child approaches the group he taps the shoulder of the closest adult he comes into contact with. When the tap occurs, the adult being tapped freezes into a tableau. When the other adults see him freezing, they too freeze into a tableau.
· Perplexed at this phenomena, the child’s depression turns into frustration and anxiety. Proceed to Scene 3.

Scene 3

· Frustrated, yet entirely curious as to the nature of the phenomena presented before him, the child begins walking counter clockwise around the group of adults. As he walks around them he pokes and taps them as if they were statues – frustration increases as he comes closer to the point of origin from where the circuitous route began.
o The child doesn’t just tap shoulders and whatnot – he’s a child, what do children do? He’ll maybe step on one’s foot, tug at hair, cling on to one’s leg, and perhaps crawl between someone’s legs, followed by head-butting another in the chest: basically, complete randomness. This should be entirely spontaneous and must, above all else, look natural.
· Once he reaches his point of origin, the frustration turns back into depression and he miserably stumbles into the center of the circle. Then, he lays on the floor, curls up into a fetal position on his left side while facing towards the general direction of the bed. Commence Scene 4.

Scene 4

· 5 seconds after the child lies on the floor, the adults unfreeze and begin to end their get-together. They shake hands, and wave – completely ignorant of the child laying on the floor between them, as their eyes should never look down – and begin to break up into groups.
· The group breaks are hard to describe in words, so hopefully the diagram will facilitate the description. Basically, they face outward and begin as follows:
o One individual, closest to the bottom left corner stays in his position after turning180 and gets down on one knee. He/She should begin to assume a pondering position. For example, left knee down, right knee up, right elbow resting on right knee, chin resting on right clenched fist, head slightly tilted to the right, and looking ponderously into space. (this will have implications later on).
o One set of two individuals (“1” in diagram) walks several steps past the center of the stage and faces the wall with their right sides exposed to the audience. There should be general connection between the two to identify them as a pair (i.e. one person’s arm around the other’s shoulder – nothing too intimate that will make the participants feel awkward but enough for interaction’s sake)
o The other set of individuals (“2” in diagram) walks diagonally towards the bed and stop just before reaching the center of the stage, with their backs to the audience. Once again, there should be some sort of interaction that defines the two as a pair, yet it must be different from the previous group (i.e. holding hands/linking arms, sitting down together.
§ Overall, the two groups should display a sense of togetherness, which the child so greatly desires.
· 5 seconds after the adults have frozen into their tableaus, the child gets up and begins Scene 5.

Scene 5
· No longer depressed or frustrated, the child should exude a general air of indifference, like a hedonist, who, having enjoyed a vice to its utmost extent finds all his pleasures cloyed in the end.
· First, he observes the pondering man curiously and turns around to walk towards the group that has their backs to the audiences. Next, after eyeing the first group, he proceeds to the second group with the same disinterest and then proceeds to go to bed.
o He should resemble someone at a museum who is not intrigued by what he sees.
· When gets to bed, he rolls over on his left side and faces away from the audience. Scene 6 then gets underway.

Scene 6
· 5 seconds after the child falls ‘asleep’ (in which case he is waking up to reality – a subtle paradox, if you will) the pondering man stands up, turns around and walks directly towards the child’s bed. The walking motion should be confident, imbued with purpose, and yet not too fast.
· The adult lies down back to back with the child, although in an inverse position: his feet are at the child’s head while his head is at the child’s feet, his face is towards the audience, whereas the child’s is away from the audience.

The End --> Transition into another vignette.

A poem and some sound...

An interesting, Feminist poetic take on the bed and relationships: "The Ballad of the Lonely Masturbator" by Anne Sexton (1969)
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=171282


And, a sound/music piece that I'm really crazy about for this project. It's perfect: James Yorkston's "Woozy with Cider" (2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eYSUxoRc0U


See you on Friday. Enjoy...
Michelle

And Something Fun I Found...

Concept Sketches

Hello Bedfellows!

Friday evening Team Spatial Designers gathered, merging minds and ideas. We all agreed quite quickly on a concept of the bed being a place of wrapping oneself in a swathe of fabric. We are still in the concept phase and will be meeting again this Monday to see through the manifestation of our brainstorms.

There is already a 1/2" model of the theatre made out of cardboard.

Below are a few concept sketches that hopefully will excite your imagination!

An elevated view of the stage from the House. The house curtain hangs eight feet from the floor. The audience aisles will be lit to guide our audience/performers to the stage.

Tentatively on stage left is a mattress with a lamp, which is the only light source.

Sketch on the left is an idea for lighting techniques. Playing with shadow and direction of light.

Sketch on the top right is a canopy of fabric with a variety of light shining through. Another idea was fabric hanging from the pipes as if it were an exaggerated four poster bed.

Visual Stimuli

Visual stimuli for the weekend!

a+

enrique

LOU REED

"The Bed" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zYunj4aMt0&feature=PlayList&p=37641835A1F74C18&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=24

boo!

BED SHEET GHOST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzoqyJUh8HE

– Whitney

Twin Sonnets of the Bed

Hey guys, here's the sonnets that I wrote with regards to the bed theme. They aren't anything original, per se, but I believe it provides new light on the themes we already discussed. Enjoy!

Twin Sonnets of the Bed
By: Ian Gerald King

Oh darling Sleep in the veil of night
Oh how you encroach upon our souls!
In the midst of darkness and starry sight
Around us your presence is felt whole.
And yet, what would your presence be,
If not eased upon us by the soothing bed?
Its tranquil repose is but the sweet candy
That so prepares your assault on the head.
So then, Sleep, nothing but a slave you are,
A mere serf to the manor of the bed;
Without its fields your harvest would be marred
By the fearful darkness to which you are wed.
If Sleep should be an army then a bed would be
Its palace of enchantment and reverie.

More than just a simple instrument of rest,
The bed is a fount of human passion and glee,
Upon which fornication is at its best,
And so preserved is the fate of humanity.
The mother gives birth from its horizontal plane
And the old man dies in that position so;
From birth to bereavement as health waxes and wanes
The bed is the abode to which our souls ever go.
A feminine character it does possess
That entrances the waters of the human mind,
To plunge ever further beneath consciousness
And into the realm of the Aetheric kind.
A unifying medium that transcends cultures abound
The bed is a gate into Eternity profound

choreography maps

2009-11-04

Hi Beds!

I post examples of the choreography maps we done where we put the trajectories of the mouvement of the people on the space, the timing, what they were listening on the i-pods and props.

I hope they will give you an idea.

a+

enrique

Choreography Tableaux - Andy Warhol X 20

These are a few of the tableaux that I used when creating the Spiral Jetty 1 choreography. (There are quite a few more.) Note that some of the Andies are colour-coded so I can keep track of who was doing what choreography. The tableaux are there only as end positions, meaning how you get from picture to picture must be as interesting as the tableaux themselves.

I began with these and then devised how people got from one tableau to the next. Also, people could also move in the tableaux themselves, performing actions on the spot.

You guys will only have to move six people, instead of twenty ... so should be easier. :P

- Stacey

Watching Sleep

Here's some visual stimulation courtesy of the band Blur:

No Distance Left to Run (The Music Video)

The Making Of

They were filmed with night-vision cameras while they slept (genuinely slept) in their beds. They seemed quite worried about letting themselves be seen or be filmed asleep. As one of them said: "It's beyond private...beyond intimate...you don't even know yourself how you sleep."

I couldn't help but be reminded of Andy Warhol's film Sleep. So, here's a few words from him: "I could never finally figure out if more things happened in the sixties because there was more awake time for them to happen in (since so many people were on amphetamine), or if people started taking amphetamine because there were so many things to do that they needed to have more awake time to do them in... Seeing everybody so up all the time made me think that sleep was becoming pretty obsolete, so I decided I'd better quickly do a movie of a person sleeping."

Sleep well,

- Tamara

visual stimuli

Carling's Bed Presentation

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd get the ball rolling by posting my presentation. I was inspired by historical perceptions of the bed and chose to research the common children's bedtime prayer "Now I lay me down to sleep" in use since the 18th century (I ended up finding 12 versions). In studying these poems I meditated on the idea of the bed as an unsafe place, especially for children in an age before modern medicine, or in unsafe houses (i.e. poorly ventilated, dirty). I also felt a connection between this fear of death, which was encouraged by the adults who taught these poems to children, and typical childhood fears of the dark, under the bed, or noises in the night, which are usually discouraged by parents.

These are the versions I found particularly interesting:

Now I lay me down to sleep,


I pray the Lord my soul to keep;

Should I die before I wake,


I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Now I lay me down to sleep,


I pray the Lord my soul to keep;


When in the morning light I wake,


Teach me the path of love to take.




Now I lay me down to sleep,


I pray the Lord my soul to keep,

Guide me through the starry night,


Wake me when the sun shines bright,


For Jesus' sake. Amen.




Now I lay me down to sleep,


I pray the Lord my soul to keep;


Guide us through the starry night,


and wake us with the morning's light.


I ask not for myself alone,

but for thy children--every one.

Sound Environment

Some inspiration for the sound designers:

In the last session, we were talking about creating the environment that the participants can listen to while following the instructions/choreography. The sound/music environment is important in that it creates the thematic subtext for the piece, as well as giving the participant an emotional journey.

The audio can tell a story or offer a meditative environment.

Or you might choose to go with a good narrative or poetry.

It is a good idea to underscore the instructions with some kind of ambient music and for the person recording to listen to the music that you have selected so that the instructions can be part of the entire ambiance.

Enjoy!

- Stacey

Bed as Story

Here is a clever use of the ubiquitous bed. And we thought it was just for sleeping ...

-Stacey

A Creative Lab

Hi, everyone. Welcome to the BED Blog -- a virtual diary/think-tank/creative process recorder for all the participants of the SJ2:BED project. This link will give you an idea of what the project is.

We've already had two sessions. The participants have been chosen and everyone has started to work on the installation which will be open to the public December 4th, 2009.

On this blog, we will be discussing concepts, posting images, and generally creating an inspirational environment for us as creators.

I hope that everyone will share their ideas and that you, the readers, will be inspired by our journey.

- Stacey

welcome!

BEDS!