Because the Internet, mistakes are forever
But if we fuck up on this journey, at least we’re together
Man, I wish I could go back and tell that kid it’s make-believe
Make ’em believe in themselves, people who needed my help
Feelings I felt, keeling myself
No one’s ever been this lost
I just get the information retweet it or say it sucks
I just got the motivation, your talent’s just a bunch of luck
Hard work and dedication, but lately it’s run amok
Waking up in these places I don’t remember
Texts from people I never met, doors left open
(Who is this? Don’t do it. Who is this?)
I don’t know who I am anymore
My first week as a student of Multimedia Performance has passed and in all honesty, it was a lot more accessible then I had anticipated. The concept of this type of performance, wherein alternative styles and methods are utilized (e.g. Site Specific Performance) can be difficult for me to grasp, let alone thrive at. However as I possess a background in camera and media work, the use of cameras during the first seminar allowed me to engage with the work in a way that I was hoping for. By experimenting with cameras, different lighting and projection not only allowed me to play to one of my strengths, but also gave me the opportunity to build on my knowledge and aim it in new and creative ways.
Even during the second seminar, which involved discussing three readings on Multimedia (that, in all honesty, I did find quite taxing and without a great deal of reward since there wasn’t a lot of information that I sound to be particularly insightful or useful) went very smoothly with the discussion of Multimedial terms and their definitions, such as Transmediality (one medium, a book, being transferred to another medium, film) Multimediality (multiple medium being viewed or heard without relying on each other) and Intermediality (two mediums that are dependent on each other). With a positive first glimpse into Multimedia Performance I look forward to what comes next in this module.
I, like many of you, do not profess to be a whiz at technology. I will be the first to admit that I fear the disapproving glare of my techie father if I were to ever admit that I don’t know what coding is or that I only this year discovered the networking map on my laptop. However, I do believe in research and make more effort to understand technical terms than how to put equipment to practical use. So, I’ll start my blog entry with a breakdown of the ‘techie bits’.
The term ‘multimedia’ is used loosely in this module title as a blanket for all forms of medial performance. In actuality we can re-define various combinations of technical arrangements into three groups: multimediality, transmediality and intermediality. I realise they don’t sound like real words so I substitute these for: multiple, transformation and interaction. This makes it a lot easier for simpletons like myself to understand.
In layman’s terms, multimediality is an experience involving a combination of multiple mediums, for example an actor and background music (something I’m sure we’re all familiar with). The medium can be any form of delivery system, television, actor, book, radio, projection, etc, the key is the word multi: more than one. Easy.
Transmediality I daresay is even simpler. It is the transformation of the message or form from one medium to another such as a book into a movie (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, 50 Shades of Grey, take your pick).
Intermediality may sound a little more complex but this too can be simplified. It concerns the co-dependence (or interaction) of two mediums which, combined, create a third hybrid experience. Think of it as a + b = c. The two mediums can exist separately, but combined they create a new performance. Most simply, think of an actor being filmed live and seeing the projection on a separate wall. The projection is its own medium as is the actor but when combined we see a new image that cannot be created without this combination.
Of course we could argue all day about various sub-categories and combinations of multimedial and intermedial, but we’ll save that for another entry. Instead, enjoy a photograph of our first intermedial experiment.
Give me a camera and a projector and honestly I’m like a kid at Christmas. I can get very easily excited over multimedia theatre, it’s something I’ve taken interest in since I started taking drama seriously, so being able to just have some time to ‘create’ is something I treasure.
This week we were allowed to do just this. As a group we were given two cameras and two projectors and let loose to see what we could do with live feeds. Steve Dixon wrote, “for many performance artists” including us, “digital technologies remain tools of enhancement and experimentation.” (Dixon, 2007, 8) Experimentation is what we were aiming for, and that is what we did.
Portals to the past.
One way of using the projectors and cameras is by facing the camera directly at a projection of what it is feeding out. This creates a similar effect to that of a hall of mirrors. Where the same image will be reflected back indefinitely.
However, one interesting factor that makes the introduction of media to this is that a live feed will always have a small delay. When someone walks or moves in the eye of the camera, their projected twin will copy a short time after, and so on through each image. This could lead to an interesting take on performing with yourself. Especially if one was to try and catch themselves looking back at them…
Big Student, Little Student.
One very interesting way of using one projector to get multiple projections is careful placement of set pieces. By taking a flat and placing it in a certain place further forward to another flat, you can create what feels like two different screens, projecting the image at two different sizes. With careful placement of actors and clever flat placement you can create an image that closely resembles that of a giant and child.
The same can be done again with however many different screens you want.
Ghost of Multimedia Past.
The experimentation becomes far more interesting when you create something you have never seen before. Using the room we were in, we found two parts that looked reasonably the same, and had each camera facing these parts. By placing the projectors on top of one another facing the same screen, we could emulate the feeling of ghosts walking around a space, as nobody would be fully visible.
This was a clear demonstration of intermediality, as no part of this performance would work without the other. Similarly, you would not be able to view just one side of the performance. The performance came from both seeing the actors in the different spaces, the set up, and the eventual projection. It was in this inbetween space that the true performance lay.
Oh yeah, and it got even nicer when you add coloured filters to the camera lenses.
Works Cited
Dixon, Steve (2007) Digital Performance: A History of New Media in Theatre, Dance, Performance Art and Installation. Chapter 1. Cambridge and London: MIT Press
Let’s take a moment to think how cool it is that you’re reading this right now. At one point in the past I was sat crossed legged on the floor of my student house in Lincoln contemplating what I was to write about in my first blog. Now here you are, sat at your computer/ phone/ tablet/ personal butler reading this to you (cross out as appropriate) experiencing it for yourself. It’s almost like travelling in time. Well, not really. However, in his book ‘Digital Performance’, Steve Dixon wrote “Many home pages and blogs constitute digital palimpsests of Erving Goffman’s notion of performative presentations of the self, with the subject being progressively erased, redefined, and reinscribed as a persona/performer within in the proscenium arch of the computer monitor.” (Dixon, 2007, 3)
His (rather brilliant) proposition explains that this blog could very easily be seen as a performance. It’s a bit difficult for me to get up and give you all a rousing rendition of On My Own from this medium, but he proposes the very essence of my words on this page is a redefined version of myself. My pattern of speech, my thoughts, my words. Think of it as some form of transmediality. Taking the ideas from one medium (my noggin) to another medium (your computer screen).
I guess what I’m trying to say is, albeit rather colourfully, is that the internet is vastly interesting component in the modern world, especially when combined with other mediums like theater to create something new. Having myself presented here on your screen is something of a performance. You could even suggest that “The world wide web… constitutes the largest theater in the world, offering everyone fifteen megabytes of fame” (Dixon, 2007, 4)
Works Cited
Dixon, Steve (2007) Digital Performance: A History of New Media in Theatre, Dance, Performance Art and Installation. Chapter 1. Cambridge and London: MIT Press
