ASOU progress notes - day three

A Series of Unexpectations

Day three - March 26th 2020

ZOOM rehearsal/first isolation rehearsal

Exquisite Corpse advice bureau/therapists office:

From Fa’asu Afoa-Purcell to Everyone:  10:25 AM

sometimes I cry over unadopted dogs

From Adam Naughton to Everyone:  10:25 AM

I can’t remember where I left my watch.

From Me to Everyone:  10:25 AM

The fact that I feel uncomfortable about this situation just makes it

From nezaj to Everyone:  10:25 AM

"Blue mushrooms are growing out of my ears and I don't know..."

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  10:25 AM

And because of this it is quite hard to get a sense of their true personality which I am really struggling with

From Natasha to Everyone:  10:25 AM

and my nail polish isn't drying in time which makes

From amberliberte to Everyone:  10:26 AM

I have a really big problem at the moment when I see people posting things like ‘live/laugh/love' and ignorantly forget that at this time there’s a mass amount of socioeconomic issues affecting people in terrible ways, where they can’t live such a privileged moment

From Jaz’s iPhone to Everyone:  10:27 AM

I want to grow a 4 week isolation beard but when the hairs curls back on itself it starts to itch

From amberliberte to Everyone:  10:33 AM

…by surrendering you accept what you’re feeling which makes the choice of how you respond to that sentiment much clearer and grounded

From Me to Everyone:  10:33 AM

but the reason you are behaving this way calls for 

From Adam Naughton to Everyone:  10:33 AM

Try to imagine you’re a Tui and when you’re

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  10:33 AM

and stay calm by seeing it from their point of view. They might not have

From nezaj to Everyone:  10:33 AM

"I believe eating broccoli will help with that, but you might also consider group meditation to ease your…"

From Fa’asu Afoa-Purcell to Everyone:  10:33 AM

don’t fret, the sound of a vacuum can drown that out

From Natasha to Everyone:  10:33 AM

Remember when you felt that way too? Just try and understand that

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  10:34 AM

Just take it one step at a time. 

You're doing the best that you can.

You can't control others, but you can control how you respond.

Go for a walk. Do some exercise. Make sure you're eating properly.

From Jaz’s iPhone to Everyone:  10:34 AM

it’s probably best if we prescribe 500gms of

From Me to Everyone:  10:44 AM

It's scary to think that I"ve already gotten to the point where going for 

From Fa’asu Afoa-Purcell to Everyone:  10:44 AM

we’ve run out of baking powder and now I can’t bake anymore

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  10:44 AM

Of course, it means that there is many opportunities for things to go wrong, because

From Adam Naughton to Everyone:  10:44 AM

I want to deliver something to a friend and

From Natasha to Everyone:  10:44 AM

I don't know how far I'm allowed to walk or run from my house without being told off and 

From Jaz’s iPhone to Everyone:  10:44 AM

I don’t know what time to wake up so that I

From amberliberte to Everyone:  10:44 AM

The amount of contracts which have just dissipated for the rest of the year

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  10:44 AM

Within the space of a week, my entire calendar for the next month and beyond was cancelled, so now I...

From nezaj to Everyone:  10:45 AM

"...when the most important decision of my entire day is what color socks I'm going to wear to the kitchen."

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  10:46 AM

Bella are people in your kitchen?

From Jaz’s iPhone to Everyone:  10:47 AM

I think you should probably just eat your feelings

From Adam Naughton to Everyone:  10:47 AM

Lie down on the grass and say hi to the

From Me to Everyone:  10:47 AM

3 deep breaths every hour will do. 

From Natasha to Everyone:  10:47 AM

or maybe just  tick one thing off at a time, no deadline, you've got a while

From Fa’asu Afoa-Purcell to Everyone:  10:47 AM

dial 111 to report such crime and let them know that

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  10:47 AM

Perhaps you should try adding in some frozen peas to stretch it a bit further and

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  10:47 AM

Use this as a chance to return to what matters most in life, including...

From amberliberte to Everyone:  10:48 AM

The air is fresh, there’ a beautiful resting silence, there’s no more traffic, the Tui’s are prolific, there’s a resonant peace amidst the stirred up chaos

From nezaj to Everyone:  10:50 AM

"A shot of schnaps will definitely properly disinfect your insides, so don't worry…"

Writing about the show - open format:

Brit -

I just remember seeing this glimmer of spontaneity behind their eyes - like they were about to perform the impossible at any moment. We were simultaneously drifting off into dream-scapes and sitting 100% present. Bodies become objects become bodies. Light becomes sound becomes light. There is a mystery to be solved, involving disconnected conversations, red wine, and shadows.

Zoe - 

Red velvet curtains are pulled back to reveal the stage set with a single stool. On it, there is a toaster wearing a long-sleeved sweater, sitting beside a bottle of spray-and-wipe wearing a cape. They both hold a miniature trombone. 

This uncanny opening image sets the tone for the rest of the work. A Series of Unexpectations is the perfect title as Dance Plant Collective take us on a wild journey through many landscapes that seem as they they have walked straight out of dreams and onto the stage. 

Movement is performed by a range of skilled artists, each bringing their own variable background knowledge into the work. There is a huge element of spoken word to the performance, and visual arts mediums are honoured throughout. The research that has gone into this work is clear, and references to Surrealism throughout history are evident through clear moments of reflection. 

Tash -

Red and green

Flashes of colour illuminate the entire stage, room, arena

A tall figure on stilts with the longest winter coat I've ever seen 

Closed eyes

Silence 

Speaking nonsense that happens to make sense after some time

Memories

Real movement, nothing for 'show' 

Entwined and tangled limbs

Crazy visuals, mushrooms? red wine? 

What style of dance is this? Ballet? Hip hop? We are b-boys/b-galz in disguise

Dress up box just exploded and someone is flailing around the stage

Amber -

Human bodies lie

Like body-stoned corpses, entangled limbs

Exquisite & moving as hive-mind

A coffee

A red wine 

A bag of powdery substance 

A central focal point

While bodies engulf one another

Words

Unintelligible 

Laughter:
Not maniacal 

Not crazy 

But innocent, like a child. 

Looking in rock pools, 

Reverencing the life-forms which 

reside in the salty, sultry brine 

Bodies shift more violently 

Eventuating in a grid-like form, 

from organic organisms to 

calculated, rhythmic beings

Dancing to backwards sounds

Like rewind

Reverse

or
Retrograde

Adam -

Open. Dream. Pause. Reverse. Sustain. 

Fresh waves of greed. 

5, 10, 15,000. 

A month apart unexpected. 

Bella -

Dawn rises over a ghost town. A human figure morphs into a bird, a tree, a wall. Everyone is at least 2 metres apart, gazes downcast, avoiding any contact. 

My body parts are confused. Chattering collarbones, and calm teeth. Quivering eyelashes and icy toes.
The only constant is change. You're never ready. 

Neza - 

A Series of Unexpectations show contains: 

9 isolated brains. 

1 collective exquisite corpse. 

Several distorted objects in deep, meaningful compositions. 

Warnings: 

It might be funny

It may be serious

Not appropriate for people allergic to elements of Surrealism 

Essential:
Embody Dali before you enter the space

Drink and dream

Jaz - 

I walked out not really knowing what had just happened. My friend did that thing where she asked me what I thought immediately after we left the theatre, and I didn't know what to say because I"m going to have to think about it for a while. 

The movement was charmingly quirky, everything had a purpose. It made sense even though none if it made any real sense. The dancers were convincing and unapologetic. I feel like I should see it again because they couldn't possibly replicate that a second time. 

Fa'asu: 

You won't know what this show is. 

Nothing will make sense, rest by our anxieties of yearning for an understanding. 

Do not hurt yourself trying to find a deeper meaning of enlightenment. 

However, if you choose to take the oath of a critical and logical world, prepare yourself for constant migraines and stress, that's the point. 

Dance Plant takes no responsibility for injuries of audience members. 

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  11:22 AM

So we use it to make a provocation for the body?

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  11:23 AM

you can save chat

click the 3 dots

From Me to Everyone:  11:24 AM

Task: Using the MAN RAY photograph/image I send (or another of your liking), respond via the following: 

*Writing: an anatomical response prompt or task e.g. ''neck hovers suspiciously''

*Movement: respond to image via improvisation or still shape. 

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  11:25 AM

yup

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  11:25 AM

Can you take a photo of a page and send it?

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  11:26 AM

Sweet

From Me to Jaz’s iPhone:  (Privately) 11:26 AM

Rayograph 1922 The Kiss

From Me to nezaj:  (Privately) 11:26 AM

End Game, 1942

From Me to Adam Naughton:  (Privately) 11:27 AM

Man Ray, Untitled (Mannequin with Cone and Sphere), 1926

From Me to amberliberte:  (Privately) 11:27 AM

Enough Rope, 1944

From Me to Bella Wilson:  (Privately) 11:27 AM

Rayograph (spiral), c1925

From Me to Fa’asu Afoa-Purcell:  (Privately) 11:28 AM

Rayograph, c1935

From Me to Zoe Nicholson:  (Privately) 11:28 AM

Cuisine, 1931

From Me to Natasha:  (Privately) 11:29 AM

Rayograph (cigarettes), 1923

From Bella Wilson to Me:  (Privately) 11:30 AM

might be easier to send pics

yup

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  11:32 AM

so cute

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  11:32 AM

Omg is he baking

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  11:32 AM

I can't find the correct image Brit

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  11:32 AM

cooool I want to follow it along later!

From nezaj to Me:  (Privately) 11:33 AM

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Man+Ray%27s+images&t=ffnt&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.washingtonpost.com%2Frw%2F2010-2019%2FWashingtonPost%2F2015%2F02%2F03%2FStyle%2FImages%2FEndgame.jpg

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  11:35 AM

Can our movement be a short choreographed thing or can it only be a still shape

From Adam Naughton to Me:  (Privately) 11:35 AM

I'm going to use one I’ve found on google images because I can’t find the one you gave me. All good? :)

From Me to Everyone:  11:39 AM

Yep Zoe it can be either :) 

From Me to Everyone:  11:45 AM

Hey guys how much longer do we need? :) 

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  11:45 AM

im done

From Natasha to Everyone:  11:46 AM

Im almost done 2 mins

From Me to Everyone:  11:46 AM

sweet! msg here or come back onto video when you're done :) 

From amberliberte to Everyone:  11:53 AM

Here, I need 5 more mins, lost in cr8 mode

*cre8

I”m listening though!

From Bella Wilson to Everyone:  11:54 AM

Tash can you mute

Man Ray - responses:

From Jaz's iPhone to Everyone: 12:00 PM

Man Ray - Rayograph 1922

1. Passionate rip yourself in half and caress your duplicate

2. Lustfully chase your shadow. When you catch it, mourn over how broken it is.

3. Reach into someone's skull - their eyes are cigarettes waiting to be smoked.

4. Hands in your head and heads in your hands.

5. An autopsy on the grim reaper.

6. Lovingly reach into your shadow's brain and kiss it's disappearing lips.

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone: 12:01 PM

Man Ray - Cuisine

With wings drawn up, sitting on a bed of rice, nose follows the circular aroma. Zig zag.

From Bella Wilson to Everyone: 12:01 PM

Man Ray - Rayograph - Spiral

Still head amidst a swirling body.

Eyeballs hover in the vortex.

From Adam Naughton to Me: (Privately) 12:01 PM

Man Ray - Untitled (Mannequin with Cone and Sphere) 1926

Knee caps circling proudly.

Arms gathering protectively. Chest sits plainly.

From amberliberty to Everyone: 12:02 PM

Man Ray -

From Fa’asu Afoa-Purcell to Everyone:  12:02 PM

Man Ray - Rayograph c.1935

Brighten beyond mystery

Poise your body

Lay your silhouette

Feminine figure floats in fuzz

Stay as poised as you are hidden

Hide behind the fuzzy bright

Float

(+ sparkler improvisation)

From Zoe Nicholson to Everyone:  12:02 PM

Somebody is mowing their lawn so its really loud

From Natasha to Everyone:  12:04 PM

Man Ray - Rayograph - Cigarettes

A Cigarette

Standing tall

The same as human

5 cigarettes a day

5 humans in a line being consumed 

1 by 1 

Provocations: 

Consumption

Withering away 

Composition

(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jjYh26jx923wn52fPtw5sp5YOXzJ4639)

From Neza to Everyone: 12:05 PM 

Man Ray - Rayograph - End Game 1942

Left leg extending between 

Opposite sternum romantically vibrating 

Nose prolonged above clavicles 

Arms squeezing lusciously 

Spine satisfyingly forming a 100 degree angle with the base of the skull 

Leg hairs spiraling 

Perfectly rounded skin cells abruptly dropping on squares

Left arm of the opposite skeleton gently caressing your leg hairs 

Squatting hesitantly 

Pointy nails right next to curvy bellies standing emotionless-ly 

Shoulders endlessly teasing the throat

Breasts square white and black on the floor 

Brain suspended playfully 

From Brit to Everyone: 12:05 PM 

Man Ray - La Priere, 1930 

(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1js9ljcAd4FXcvXcTE4bX0QUQT8H7zvVM)