When researching the history of the Drill Hall we become “layered with the text” (Jones, 2009, 32). I find that our site performance piece is “the artist demonstrating environmental awareness, with the environment as ecosystem and depository of socio-political realities and not as a blank canvas…” (Pearson, 33) because we’re finding a meaning for everything that we’re doing in relation to the Drill Hall and its past. We’re not just throwing ideas together in the hope of making a good performance, we’re trying to tell a story and convey a piece that engages the audience with the history of the place. The Drill Hall is the site of many performances, both past and present from its history as a Drilling space and Dance Hall to the performance of musicians and festivals. However, it is not just a blank space in the city where anything can be performed or shown. It has its own stories and realities that are inspirational pieces and we are drawing on one of those to make a simple but effective piece of art
We are not adding anything to the performance that would not enhance the meaning of it. Just because something may look good, it doesn’t mean it will go into our performance. Everything must have a point and this point must be easy to see otherwise the piece loses meaning and attention. I have created a mind-map to help work everything out. It clears up all links and shows exactly what we plan to do and why we are doing what we are doing. If something doesn’t have a point, then why bother with it?
Jones, A. (2009) Performance: Time, Space and Cultural ‘Value’. In: David Cross and Claire Doherty (eds.) One Day Sculpture. Germany: Kerber. 31-37
Pearson, M. (2010) Site-Specific Performance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.