Re: telematics

Imma Sarries-Zgonc (immaSZ@t-online.de)
Wed, 26 Mar 97 07:41:24 -0000

Yes, Terry, I think you are right.
But somehow I also can understand Scott.

Last summer we gave a workshop -LBLM- together with Johannes Birringer at
the Chichester Institute of higher Education, University of Southhampton,
UK. It took place as part of the SPLIT SCREEN Arts Conference organized
there by Chris Butler, head of the Realted Arts Program. You probably
heard of it already.

Well, we had 18 people coming from different backgrounds: dancers,
pupetriests, musitians, actors, computer programers, visual artists... We
tried to make clear the goals of the work, we also gave some specific
ideas and concepts to follow and look into, so that the energies and
works would have a link or a certain unifying base. We all agreed that
all the great equitment sorrounding us was nothing but new tools to give
our ideas and concepts new dimentions and possibilities. Nevertheless,
after the first four days we realized that most of the work was not much
more than playing arround with the instruments, and so we had to sit down
again and raise the issue once more.

Now,though, after some months, I can see that those first days where
necessary, vital. In those three days the exchange of information and
knowledge between the participants gave new parameters to each of them to
work with. Some people did not even know how to switch on a camera, how a
mixing board looked like, what did it mean close circuit... Others where
motivated by seeing and listening to raw ideas, concepts, images and
texts...It was a very active and busy time which taught all of us a lot,
but it did not become fruitfull until we questioned ourselves why were we
learning all of that. Were there real things we wanted to say? What were
we pursueing realy?
>From then on creativity started to get some different colours, to take
spacific and challanging directions which spoke in very reach and diverse
ways. It was a pitty we only had 9 days to work with eachother, but I
think it opened everybody's way of seeing technique and the use we should
be doing of it, we learned how our ideas can be read in different ways
and get different meanings by making choices and challanging the
technique itself.

So I would suggest Scott to be carefull. You know how we dancers are, we
get excited when we can put our hand on any kind of machine that
transforms time, flow, the way we are or look in the space; but we tend
only to play arround with it, to get imnotized. Try to keep them awake
about the utility those machines have for us, about the real goals and
ideas each dancer might have -or not-...They might need to spend sometime
playing, but get them to think of more elavorated concepts than comings
and goings, or beginings and endings -unless someone aproaches cicles of
life, physical and psicological changes, migration,..(you know where I am
trying to get to)-.

Have fun with it.

Imma

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Imma Sarries-Zgonc
AlienNation Co.

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Germany

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e-mail: immaSZ@T-online.de
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