scorched happiness - short proposal

[ References ]

[ Long Proposal ]

Summary of Project:
By collaboratively writing, rehearsing and performing a live performance in 3D multiuser cyberspace (3DMU Space), a performative vocabulary will be developed that is based on practical and theoretical considerations of 3DMU Space as a medium, seperate from other performance media such as theatre or film. Reflecting the synaesthetic nature of 3DMU Space, collaborators will originate from a cross section of arts disciplines: sculpture, painting, dance/physical theatre, music and programming. Because 3DMU Space can be thought of as a new land/nation/space, it is appropriate that the narrative/rationale for the performance be based on "Tocatta and Fugue for the Foreigner" which is Chapter 1 of Julia Kristeva's landmark work on foreignness "Strangers To Ourselves". Therefore it is appropriate that the collaborators be 'foreigners' themselves, according to Kristeva's definition. By using the text to provide the conceptual/narrative structure for the show (23 short 'fugues'), the collaborators are free to concentrate on developing a visual/audio/conceptual performative vocabulary born specifically from working in the medium itself.

WHAT?

Aims and Objectives:

The objective of the project is to develop a performative vocabulary for live 3DMU Space performances through a practical mounting of a live collaborative performance. This project seeks to define a new performative vocabulary based on the medium itself, its strengths weaknesses and uniqueness, which will result in a purely 3DMU Space performance that is successful on its own terms, free from any unpaid debt to the physical world, whilst obviously referencing/acknowledging those influences and precedents.

Julia Kristeva's "Tocatta and Fugue for the Foreigner" is an ideal work on which to base such a production, because it deals with the psychology of those who find themselves in a new 'territory' (ie, the foreigner), whilst being a highly poetical work of literature that prefaces a rigorous deconstruction of the notion of foreigness through history to the present. It is a beautiful, confronting work that provides an immense amount of 'raw material' for the artists to work with. Its structure (23 short 'fugues') presents an ideal framework on which to base a collaborative show.

This frees the artists, enabling them to concentrate on the performative and aesthetic logistics of the production. This is vital, as the success of the project depends on the skillful utilisation of the medium: the avatar, the space, and the interactions between avatar and space, and avatars with each other. This is the crucial point that defines the difference between 3DMU Space performance and traditional performance forms. In, for example, a theatre show, a ballet or a film, each of the sensual processes is assigned to a separate artisan: sound, music, camerawork, choreography, acting, all are discrete processes performed by distinct individuals. Additionally, other ephemeral functions have discrete roles: time, meaning, location. In 3DMU Space, the performer/avatar can literally BE any or all of these processes at the same time or different times, in different combinations. A performer can literally BE the location. A performer can be an emotion that a character is experiencing. A performer can be the soundtrack, or parts thereof. A performer can be a cloud of lightpoints that is chimeric in form over time. In this way, whislt it represents a unique medium, its conceptual approach [mindset] is more redolent of the artforms that historically accomodate abstract expression, such as visual art or dance, as opposed to the 'naturalistic' tendencies of film and text-based theatre. Kristeva's work is ideal as a source because it is not a 'character-driven' piece, but rather deals in emotions, reactions, motivations and other psychologies.

WHY?

There has been little performace practice in 3DMU Space that attempts to explore the medium in a manner that is not bound to notions of how the performance or performer/avatars relate to the physical world. The Men Who Knew Too Much, in the multiuser versions of their work Virtual Humanoids linearly mapped their physical performance bodies into 3D multiuser space, complete with text based versions of their characters' dialogue that the audience were required to read. The work of Company In Space concentrates on the capturing of a human body in physical space which is then mapped into 3D single user space. These works are all based on the existence of a 'body' in physical space as a rationale for the cyberspace performance. This inevitably results in a concept that treats 3DMU space as an annex of the physical world, and is often disappointing for an audience, due to unavoidable subconscious expectations of physical world precedents.

Similarly, there is little net-based performance that is not extremely self-referential, ie, most net-based performance is 'about' net-based performance. Whilst this approach, which takes McLuhan's famous maxim to a wafer thin level, is inevitable in the first immature inklings of the awareness of a new medium it is inappropriate if that medium is to be seriously considered as a mature medium suitable for artistic pursuits. Whilst one aim of this project is to develop a performative vocabulary for this medium, it is *in order to* produce an artistic work about one of the major themes of contemporary society: foreigness. In doing so, it paves the way for others to build on the successes and failures of the work to help produce a lasting and durable conceptual and concrete vocabulary for a meidum that is capable of artistic im/expression of the radically changed and challenging society in which we now all live.

Like much of the technological innovations of the past century (radio, television, film), the entusiastic uptake of this medium by non-artists far outpaces that of artists, and it is vital that large scale, conceptually ambitious artistic projects be mounted within this medium in order to 'stake a claim' before the entire territory is claimed by commercial interests for 'commerce' and 'entertainment' as has largely been the case with radio television and film.

HOW?

The technology used to realise the 3DMU Space is VNet, a client/server application that implements VRML for the '3D' and 'space' aspects and java for the 'multiuser' negotiations. It is wrapped in a web page. VNet is an open source application that has been used and proven effective for multiuser performances by myself and other artists such as Melinda Rackham and Steve Guynup. There is an ongoing online discussion between the original authors of the program and those using it, of which I am an active member. VNet is used because its open souce nature guarantees access, but it is appropriate to the aims of the project that other technologies are investigate if and as they become available and/or viable.

The production process will be in four stages:

1a. Research
Initial research and groundwork performed by Adam Nash. (This is currently underway, supported by a small research grant from Digital Summer, UK.)

1b. Conceptual workshopping.
Group meetings conducted mostly in physical space, involving conceptual discussions working toward a unified theoretical framework and practical methodology. This will also involve technological training where and if neccessary.

2. Artistic Collaboration.
This is the process of actually 'writing' the show.
Most of the artistic collaboration on this project will take place online amongst discrete partnerings within the overall group, each discrete unit providing an unique contribution based on their skills, experience and interpretation of the text. Regular group meetings, both online and in physical space, will provide the overall unified performative rationale and aesthetic during this process.

3.Rehearsals.
Rehearsals will take place online.

Stages 1,2 and 3 will neccesarily have fluid boundaries to accomodate conceptual and concrete changes brought about by the process and the collaborators' increasing familiarity with the medium.

4. Performance.
Performances will take place online. The audience will log in to the 3DMU Space from any computer connected to the internet. It is expected that part of the conceptual consideration of the performance will relate to notions of audience as avatar and how this relates to the performance and medium. There is also potential for a 'showing' in physical space, using a data projector for the benefit of audience members who are unable or unwilling to attend vritually. Both the virtual and physical space performances can and should accommodate a post-performance dialog between performers and audience.

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