Our performance

I have been thinking a lot this week about our performance piece and to what extent it manifests the sessions and workshops we have done so far.

I think it's really interesting to see what has come about, and where it has generated from. Initially I worried that what we had come up with didn't quite reflect the nature of 'conversation' and particularly gendered conversation as intended, but the more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense...

The Germaine Greer shrine... great, a good bit of fun and almost a celebration and a finger in the air for feminism... hitting the accusation of being aggressive and in your face head on by being knowingly and celebratorily(?) so...

The confessional aspect - I have been thinking a lot recently about the confessional nature of some of my personal conversations (particularly with Sarah who unfortunately for her has to deal with my verbal dhiarrhoea)... to an extent I have found these workshops quite confessional, much more than I thought they would be given my initial apprehensions about attending a session full of women.

The sound recordings - these for me hint at the notion that not all conversation is experienced directly and physically, and particularly in a modern age this is quite an important thing to address and explore. I think there is potential for more 'interpretive' performance here, perhaps in the way we respond to the recording (as discussed) and interpret the non-physical presence with our own physical presence

Also with the tape and the confessions - the notions of stories (particularly personal stories) and how these are so important for conversation and in particular female conversation and the notion of sharing

The gestural element - I think it's really importnat to explore the physical element of conversation and there is further scope here. Something Sarah and I have been discussing is the potential of an additional intermission piece in which we sit and have a conversation in the bar, but over gesticulate in a mirrored fashion...

The comedy aspect, the playing with conventions, the stealing of a recognisable format so as to subvert and challenge.

But perhaps where is the tradtional conversational element? I am keen to address this, but don't really have any suggestions and am anxious at how forced this may seem (I'm also not personally happy to perform myself as I'm not a perfromer)... but mabe a forced and strained conversation, or one plyed out with characters and types might address the notion that conversation is always performed, and roles are always played...

I'm also a bit anxious about how we end... hopefully we'll have lots of brainwaves tomorrow to top it off beautifully!

Ah, I don't know! I'm just waffling horribly!

See you all tomorrow!

Michelle x