Names: Crossing Australia
During a 3 week period as 'artist in residence' in Wollongong I made a provisional development for a project about Australian names, in which an artificial landscape of movement and light was made, involving information concerning the actual landscape. In order to make artificial light and essential part of the performance, the choice was made to perform the work with a public and performers on the stage of the university's theatre. Preparation. 8 straight lines are drawn on a large map of Australia, from the sea on one side, via Alice Springs as middle-point, and ending at the sea on the other side. Each line represents a time of 30 minutes, whereby Alice Springs lies on each line at 15 minutes. Using a photocopier the lines are enlarged to strips of approximately 3 meter. 8 students are each asked to read out loud all the names on one line with the aid of a stop-watch, as a result of which, the distances between the names sound in the right time-proportion. Further, the words in small ring are spoken softly, while words and names in larger print are said in medium or loud volume. Names, which parts of letters are printed far apart from each other, are read out in a long drawn-out way. Realization. The performers sit on chairs in a circle with a 3 meter diameter. The lines lie on the floor, crossing over each other in the middle, and are rolled up as they are read. A spotlight is directed at each of the performers. Light levels are adjusted every 15 seconds which correlate in length and brightness to the volumes of the words read at that moment. The result is a dream-like atmosphere of gently rising and shifting light and sound. There are long silences, especially in the case of seas and deserts, but there are also moments when many voices overlap each other in different volumes, by which English and Aboriginal names blend together or can be clearly understood.
year | 1995 |
location | departement of visual arts University of Wollongong AU |
brief description | Names, touching timelines on a geographical map of through Australia, are recited in the right time proportions |
performed by | students of the arts department |