Hello All. Lou Brodie here. This is my first contribution to the blog. Apologies for the tardiness. I have a slightly different role to the other bloggers as I am involved in Behaviour 2012 though Haircuts by Children. It’s my role to support the Arches and the guys from Mammalian Diving Reflex to find the local school and salon and all the other little things that go hand in hand with a participation project like this. It’s fair to say I’m pretty freaking excited about being involved. Not to mention seeing all of the work that those of you blogging are making.
So far I’ve watched Robert Softley offer some mediations on his and others bodies, an orchestra of sewing machines, Chris Thorpe chatting about autobiographical performance and looked on whilst friends and strangers became Gobsquad. All of which have left me pondering the questions raised or the technologies used. I think I have been in a very cerebral place with my engagement so far in Behaviour. I wondered if anyone else had experienced this?
Tonight though I encountered the always wild Ann Liv Young. I am still very much in a thinking place and have been left will thoughts of questions about the deconstruction of fairytales however I also had a strong emotional reaction towards of the end of the work. I love that Ann Liv absolutely embraces the persona and rules that she creates for herself. Whether you are disgusted by what she is doing or find her exhilarating she’s throws everything at what she is doing. My reaction was more so towards a particular audience member who had been making comments the whole way through the performance to his friend that were sexist and subtly misogynous. He was the first up in the “Get your photo taken” and chose to straddle her for his photo. I was instantly disgusted with the man but also fully aware that Ann Liv was in control. I’m still feeling sick from him now and although it wasn’t my favourite Ann Liv show I have seen so far it’s clever deconstruction and in many ways manipulation of it’s audience has not only engaged my brain but tapped into a visceral part of me.
So my question to anyone who would like to comment is this – have you had a visceral reaction to any of the work you have seen so far and what has it left you pondering?
How We Behave 