21st March- 'THE AUDIT' at Norwich Arts Centre

21st March-

 'THE AUDIT' 

at Norwich Arts Centre 

(Viewed 21st March) (documentation, research and reflections) 



http://proto-type.org/projects/current/the-audit/

Trailer-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceqe5tP9-5Q

Vimeo site-
https://vimeo.com/prototypetheater

DESCRIPTION-

'There’s a shadow coming, across the sea. Long and terrifying. The vultures are circling, the wolves are howling… how can we weather this storm?
The global economy is a mess. The crash has landed, the tide’s swept out, and it’s taken our hope with it. There’s less in our pockets and more to be spent. The rich have got richer, the middle’s squeezed tight, and the poor are being dragged ever downwards.
With the true value of money and the human cost of greed firmly in their sights, Proto-type Theater tell the story of how a nation raised their voices in protest and railed against the currents.
Using original text, performance, film, music and animation, THE AUDIT is about finding strength, overcoming a world designed to keep us docile, and how collective power can move a mountain – even if only a little.
THE AUDIT is Proto-type’s second theatrical work examining contemporary politics, following A Machine they’re Secretly Building, a “smartly intelligent hour-long whizz through the world of surveillance” (Lyn Gardner, The Guardian).'

Reflections-

This evening, after work, I went to view 'THE AUDIT' at Norwich arts centre. This theatrical performance is difficult to describe as it doesn't fit any of the channels of theatre that are classically known. Further to this, I would hate to confine it to any of them either.  Within this artwork, there was animation, film, spoken word, performance, acting, political commentary and intense audience connection. Although only two artists were present you could sense the amount of collaborative effort within the piece and not only research but content design so well considered. The political commentary and information that ran through the work was of intense interest to me and is very much inline with my own research base. However, this isn't what mainly appealed to me in this work. i was very much struck by the form that it existed within. A theatrical lecture designed to inspire, educate and question the power structures we find ourselves under. Unlike film, the live performance nature of the work leads the viewer to be more attentive I find. Further to this the fact there is a stage and a solo time in which that artwork will inhabit that space also. Within a gallery I often wonder how many people stay to view a film start to finish and you have to take into consideration the fact they may enter the viewing part way through. This is not the case in a theatrical performance. Due to theatrical tradition, the lighting used and the 'stage' setting. There is an instant respect and relationship between viewer and performer. Therefore, when their 'lecture' style poetry enters the equation, I feel they already take an elevated stance and there is an instant trust. As how else would they have been put in a position to influence many. Some may interpret this as unfair or even unjust however I feel that is a massive credit on the artists part as they commanded the space in such a manner that would surely have opened the minds of those who may not have considered the commentary prior to the event. Yet, on the other hand, the information for the event does give clues of the continent. This may be why the crowd was decent but not massive. There isn't always great stretched interest in political lecture performance art. There is a real stigma attached to this sort of work and I feel THE AUDIT did well to remove that blameful tone that so much political work can hold. It very much heald the true culprit responsible, yet to bring those down, unfortunately it starts with those who are not to blame. This paradox is something I have struggled to show in my work fo some time now and my material experimentation shows this difficult relationship. My entering into film however has begun to relieve this. Seeing this performative work also allowed comfort in the fluid nature of this type of work and the possibilities also.  I had a conversation after the performance with one of the artists and I discussed the nature of my own work and the possibilities that lie there. this was amazing and she really stressed the value of collaborative process along with work across disciplines, something I have seen personally working with a filmmaker on my collaborative 'How Text Lives' exposition. Sometimes you see work, read material or engage in a process that has an effect on you that no level of reflection can quite embody. This performance resonated in that way and I intend to reflect further on that very feeling. However, that reflection will likely ome over time and seep through into my own work. This is the interesting and vital thing about viewing so much material. It will be influencing me and my practice in ways somewhat unknown. I purchased the script of the THE AUDIT to add to my research material and consider form a linguistic point of view. I have been focusing on very negative written material however It would be interesting to consider the emotive language used in this text in correspondence with my own language I use try and instil the same passion from the viewer.