Penninsula

An ongoing programme of artists' commissions, investigating and interrogating the Greenwich Peninsula as the area undergoes a huge transformation.

 These projects are so neat!

Again, we have social spaces, community involvement, and art. What a delicious culture sandwich that makes.

Street with a view

We all know what Google Street View is...those mildly creepy photos of your street when you are probably not there.

What if you had control over how your street was seen?
Check out this project by Robin Hewlett and Ben Kingsley, called Street With A View.

This project is really interesting, especially how they involved the people that live in that neighborhood. So, we've got site-specificity, community involvement, and social spaces...

I'm seeing connections here.

I'm writing a paper!

Yes, that's right, I'm writing a paper. A professional paper. (Now say that in a British accent..." A professional paper!")

The main ideas I am thinking about are:

• performances in social, public spaces
• developing a community within physical social spaces and virtual social spaces (like this one!) through the engagement in a public performance
  

I just stumbled across this video of Professor David Gauntlett's inaugural lecture, 'Participation culture, creativity, and social change', from November 12, 2008. It's pretty rockin'.  After watching it I feel like there is some common  language used in his talk and in my head. For instance: MAKING and DOING. How do we put more opportunities to make and to do in the social, public sphere? How can performance do that?

This may be a bit tangential...but there's something there. I'm just not sure what yet.

A little excerpt from Saturday night...

Wrapping it up

Happy Holidays All,

Just a few loose ends to tie with left over wrapping paper...

1. Hopefully, if you requested a DVD and supplied your address, you have received it! If not, please send Lily a message.

2. Did you watch the DVD? No? Well, you've been busy. We understand, but when you do, please drop a little comment about what you thought.

3. If you were able to come to the show, do you remember it? Did you have too much eggnog since then? Well, if you remember, drop us a little comment and let us know what you thought.

Bethany and I are entering our LAST semester of graduate school, and we're writing separate papers about the project. So, in addition to the fact that you are awesome, this is why we would love to hear your feedback.

Thanks again for all your support in 2009. Lets do more in 2010! Happy New Year everybody!

-Lily

Reviews!

I've got some smart bloggers in the family! Check out my mom's blip on her blog about Complex Environments.

Teeny Video

My brother, Robin, posted about Complex Environments on his blog, including this little video.

Complex Environments CAKE!

Complex Environments, originally uploaded by lssloan.

Awwww

Complex Environments, originally uploaded by lssloan.

What a good cast!

Complex Environments

Complex Environments, originally uploaded by lssloan.

Fun before out Saturday night performance.

Whoa!

I can't believe it's been a week since we did Complex Environments. Within a few days, Bethany and I were driving down to Austin for a workshop with Nancy Stark Smith, so I don't think I ever did a re-cap of the performance.

In short....it was GREAT! Great crowd, great response, great feelings all around!

Tomorrow, we make the dvds and get them ready to ship off to all the Backers. I can't wait to see the footage. I'll be sure to get a little clip of the performance up on the blog soon.

Till the next time...

-Lily

Well....just as our dear mentor who shall remain nameless suggested, some of the best performances happen after chaos.  Well...we had that this morning.

1. It snowed. (in Texas!)
2. The projector did not work because it was so cold.
3. I ran over Bethany's hair while moving a couch.
4. Bethany ran into a chair and bruised the !@#$ out of her knee.
5. José yelled at Melissa (oh wait, that was planned)
6. Did I mention that the projector DID NOT WORK?

AHHHHH!

But after a strange, but fun and still great rehearsal, everything and everyone is OK. The projector works now. It just needed its fuzzy slippers.

After all that, all I have to say is ......... BRING IT!

Bring it!

It is time.

We are ready.

So, bring it!

Come to Banter at 219 W. Oak in Denton, TX THIS Friday and Saturday at 8p.m.

Here's a theoretical question to ponder over ( and comment on)...

What is the aesthetic of "awesome"?

ok.

bye.

Postcards are on the way!

The final postcard design is done and printed. Look for them around Downtown Denton, or if you're lucky, in your mailbox!

Getting down to crunch time!

Well, as graduate students, we are also involved in the many performances that take place within the Department of Dance. This week kicks off our concert series, and both Bethany and I, along with several of our cast members, are in the theater every night rehearsing for this weekend's show. To say the least, we're pooped! But, that doesn't stop Complex Environments! We all woke up bright and early this past Sunday for a fun 8:30 a.m. rehearsal at Banter with our musician, John. Tomorrow morning, we shall do it again!

The postcards will be sent to print today- with a brand new design. Thanks for all the feedback on the previous design; your comments were noted.

A question for you: What slow song do you most remember from awkward school dances?

Thanks again for all your support!

We made it!

I came home last night after a late rehearsal, checked my email, and what to my wondering eyes should appear.....A FULLY FUNDED KICKSTARTER PROJECT!

Thanks to pals, Rex and Lucy, who tipped us over the fundraising edge, we have met our goal. Woo hoo!

Things are certainly well underway. The last six rehearsals are marked on the calendar, I'm about to get our postcards proofed, and we have begun arranging the VIP seating chart. (Okay, it's not a chart yet...just a list)

Thanks again to all of the wonderful people who have contributed to our project.  Our gratitude will soon reach your mailbox, and we hope to make your tummies and creative spirits happy come December 4th and 5th.

Until then, my lovelies...until then!

-Lily

Design Ideas

Do you like these? Which one? Why?

The virtuosity of brushing your hair

I've been thinking about virtuosity and how it relates to this piece. How can semi-pedestrian movement be virtuosic? Is it the transitions? It is the layers? Is it the improvisational nature of it?

There is something about the seamless transitions between casual movement to contact that seems virtuosic. How does one shift from a relaxed state of brushing hair out of one's face to a more frenetic state of jumping on someone's back, and then shift back to the original state?

What do you think about that? What does seamlessness mean to you?

New Update by the fire...

Today we posted a new update from our rehearsal this morning....by the fire.

We have this great little fake fireplace in our performance space in Banter. Well, it was on when we got there this morning at 8 a.m. and it lured us to sit around, eat cookies, and drink coffee for the first part of rehearsal. We never do this, but regardless, goofing around turned into a really goofy run of the piece. I think Bethany was talking into a coffee cup at some point.

That said, what a fun run! It's amazing what happens when you loosen up, have some fun, and open up the score a bit.

Anyway, check out the update video and keep submitting questions. They are so great!

Backers Submit Questions

Recently, we posted a new update on our Kickstarter page that is exclusively for Backers. But, I guess I can tell you what it is about.

We want QUESTIONS...and lots of them. There is a particular part of the performance where we need a long list of questions, so we asked our Backers to provide them. Here are a few so far:

•       Has any human being ever actually been raised by wolves?
  
•       Will I ever pay off my student loan debt?
  
•       Why won't Jim Cantore return my phone calls?
  
•       What time do the fish dance?
  
•       Why is repetition so comforting?
  
•       Should wet birds fly at night?
  
•       If you were a spatula, would you be plastic or metal?
  
•       Which would win in a battle, electricity or lava?

Aren't they great? I'm looking forward to the rest of the questions. Thanks Backers!