Here is my performance piece for the class, entitled All Work and No Play; Business is a Well Oiled Machine. The performance was done in downtown Tampa in which I put on a disheveled business suit and one shoe, a mask of Ronald Reagan, and played a soundclip that I had created for the piece itself. As I marched down the streets, focusing only on my watch with my phone to my ear, people were able to hear the speech that I had created, which was just a cacophony of business words and stress, being thrown from the subconscious mind of the character into the real world. The point was to show the stress induced from the everyday work environment that honestly could be said is slowly killing some of us. It's the story of a man so overworked that he has forgotten conventional ways, brought down by the work he does, day in and day out. The soundclip that I was using has been provided below. One thing that came very clear after doing this piece was that the timing in which I had done it could have probably been better. I had performed this piece on April 21st, 2013, in the wake of the bombing and other issues in Boston. It seems that this may have caused a large amount of paranoia in other cities, as moments after I finished my piece I was stopped by a police car. Then, two more squad cars parked behind me to also question what I had just been doing. According to one of the officers, they had actually planned on even getting two more cars on the scene because of the calls they had been getting. I was completely honest with them, showed them everything I had used and told them that it was a school project, and they were very polite and let me on my way. This was definitely an experience that I will not soon forget.
Love the concept behind the piece, especially since the location was shot in the financial district, filled with buisness men and women of the same mindset. Well designed, great audio- enjoyed the cop story!
ReplyDeleteGotta love the Reagan mask. I like the thought you put behind the project, especially the audio recording. I learned from your project the most that the cameraman should not interfere with the artist. The effect is much more real and impactful. I only wish it could have been better captured on video, the iPhone camera did not do it justice, but again, it is part of the art, so I can't really complain about that part.
ReplyDeleteA very creative use of the voice recording. It really added depth to your piece that made it even more creepy than the Reagan mask. The way you walked and stared at your watch also helped to communicate your idea really well. Overall, I think your concept came across well. Good Job :)
ReplyDeleteI really liked the use of the disheveled business suit. I agree with the overall message of the piece. After all, stress is one of the top causes for untimely death
ReplyDeleteThis idea was very well thought out and conceptualized. I wish I could have seen more of what you looked like. The fact that the cops were called clearly shows that this project was a success.
ReplyDeleteBOLD!! You really stepped outside your comfort zone, (and mine for that matter), and did an awesome project. the concept was really interesting and you did a really good job communicating the idea with the costume and going that extra mile to create a voice over! Nice
ReplyDeleteThe cop story added to the idea as well.