I’ve been a little slow getting this one up here, but here it is – some documentation material from the Meta-p(F)ace show created and performed in Athens, Greece.
This piece was devised in collaboration with Yiorgos Bakalos (performance with live cameras) and Stevan Lung (video/visuals). Whilst we all came to the project with ideas of where we wanted it to go, it was essentially devised over the space of 3 weeks, with the following 2 weeks consisting of approximately 10 performances at the Beton7 Gallery.
The piece explored the relationship between our private, personal space and how this affects our dealings with the world at large. Through the use of two wireless cameras strapped to the backs of Yiorgos’ hands (one facing in towards his face, and the other out) we examined this central theme, whilst also looking at how our memories affect our attitudes in the present, and how coming to terms with our past can liberate us from anxiety and misgivings about where we’re going.
Sonically the piece was made almost entirely out of audio recordings made in and around Yiorgos’ flat, trying to capture the background sounds and various times of day to build up a sonic footprint of the environment we were working in. I then layered these together to create an amalgamated impression of the soundscape, whilst at certain points introducing other elements (such as a synthesised drone) to create a sense of otherness, tension and dislocation. This latter part was very important since it cemented the idea of the individual vs the world, and the struggle that will ensnare all of us at some point in our lives.
The space itself consisted of two rooms: One large room which contained the Installation portion (projectors, speakers and an armchair) and a smaller room in which Yiorgos performed most of his choreography. Stevan and I were set up in this smaller space, so as to leave the audience to their own devices in the main area. Yiorgos began his choreography under a duvet on a bed in the small room, with his actions only visible on the two screens next door. Through this connection yet disconnection between the two spaces the audience had to choose whether to watch the bed or the screens, physically enter his personal space or watch it voyeuristically on the projections.
I won’t explain in great detail how the piece unfolds, since I think it has to be experienced in person. We’ll see whether there’s another opportunity for that to happen. To give you a feeling of the space and general tone, here some images (video to follow):
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