SIP working journal by Ella Zilkha https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv en-us 2023-05-01 13:18:48 UTC 2024-06-26 10:08:33 UTC hello@padlet.com DRIVE https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573732872 2023-05-01 13:41:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573732872 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573737427 2023-05-01 13:45:01 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573737427 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573737481 2023-05-01 13:45:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573737481 Our ground rules ellazilkha https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573742108
  • We all reach out to three organisations or theatre professionals to inform our practice/production.
  • When sharing ideas, show don’t tell
  • In case of conflicting ideas, we make a conscious effort to understand the other position.
  • Respect each other’s roles and agencies that we defined
  • We choose our own challenges
  • Be on time (at agreed time) and stick to group agreements
  • Come prepared to the rehearsals
  • Don’t do a completely conventional show (one thing must be different from conventional performance)

    • ]]>     2023-05-01 13:49:10 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2573742108     Tuesday 9 May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2575346105 Our first rehearsal day was made up by a couple of exercises that focused on exploring different forms for a theatre show. They were mainly led by Ella, one last exercise was led by Christof.
    Exercises:
    • Tell the worst joke ever (We found an interesting link between standup and ted talk presentation)
    • Advertisement (Broom of oppression, clothing ad, this would be a form that we could explore more with video (ai projection) and audio (people cleaning while audio playing)
    • Sport exercises (Francesca came up with an interesting exercise with the audience, Ella with a durational elasticband exercise where the progress on the body is visible and Christof with an exercise involving a mirror  and aimed at exhaustion of the performer with complicity of the audience in the execution)
    • Testimonial (Whisper something into one audience member's ear while something is happening onstage, giving them exclusive information).
    • Gameshow (Fra & Ella: Question game, where the questions and answers become progressively unethical, but is presented as highly entertaining, Christof: Video captured somewhere around show location where audience is asked to rate expected winner based on expected "successfulness" in live (based on social credit score).
    • Wig Exercises (Only the oppressed knows what's going on, oppressor blinded, only audio).
    • Boal image progression (from oppressed to un-oppressed)
    ]]>     2023-05-02 15:07:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2575346105     Tuesday 2nd May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2575779700 We wrote our project proposal for the SIP, with our main topic (as taken from the form): the development of humanity through time (historical/present/future) and changes of perception and practice of ethics in relation to oppression.

    We added to our individual responsibilities to get in touch with various theatre companies in London and outside. 
    We envisioned a trip to Stonehenge.

    https://socialistworker.co.uk/features/primitive-communism-life-before-class-and-oppression/ ]]>     2023-05-02 21:19:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2575779700     wednesday 3rd May: FOUR POINTS OF CREATION https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2576543785
  • i want to talk you about - manifestations of oppression
  • i want to use (form) - AI, performance, audience interaction
  • i want to reveal (plot or character point) - how moral can change over time
  • i want my audience to feel ( the intended action) - entertained and disconcerted

    • READ: Rutger Bregman "Humankind"

    ]]>     2023-05-03 10:15:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2576543785     Thursday 4th May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2578124973 Production: We wrote the project brief and decided to get in touch with various critics and local theatres.
    Content: We brainstormed on oppression, decided everything we'll say in the show is gonna be true. 
    Frame: we defined better the frame. 
    (For all of this, check Drive: Documents)]]>     2023-05-04 11:17:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2578124973     Wednesday 10 May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2585753969 On our second rehearsal day we again explored different prompts led by Francesca and one led by Christof.
    Exercises:
    • Animal scene (Horse and goose in tube, to be further explored as dating scene)
    • Speech while being wrapped in tape (Potentially being combined with fashion advertisement or competition for the best dress made from tape and trashbags that the audience can vote for)
    • Speech with new laws for your country (to be combined and played as a projection, TV interruption of a different scene, to be further explored with The Great Dictator and Ode to Joy)
    • I will never step on anyone else / I will never be stepped on by anyone else (Prompt led to musical piece (Ella) and construction of a tower (Christof))
    • Morality in the mechanics (Several ideas for audience interactions around morality:
      • Audience can choose to wear a wig at beginning of play and later it is revealed that wigless people are oppressors.
      • A voting process (analogue) that let's audience choose whether the performance goes on for another 20-30 minutes or is wrapped up within 5 minutes
      • A voting process where audience votes for the best performers (dress, etc.). It is then revealed that worst performer gets kicked from remainder off show. Audience can change their mind, but worst performer of second voting round doesn't appear in rest of show and also not in applause.
      • The first five minutes of a show are reserved for audience members who shared the show on social media, the other's have to wait outside for five minutes (alternatively, they could also hand in confessions or other things, but they need to put in work)
      • Vote for a wig
      • People can choose to pay more for ticket, this extra money goes into a pot and subject to the vote of all who paid extra to be donated to a nonprofit of their choice.

    ]]>     2023-05-10 16:04:04 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2585753969     https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2585780749 2023-05-10 16:23:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2585780749 Thursday 11 May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2587746784 Our third rehearsal day started with a trip to the British Library, where we found a couple of interesting exhibits that might inspire our show (documents on animal rights, scripts from Monthy Python, etc.). We then went back to Central to fill out our ethics form and rehearse.
    In the afternoon rehearsal we explored different prompts by Christof, Francesca and Ella.
    Exercises:
    • Create a soundscape (Francesca: Knocking on door, locking the audience in with us, Ella: Rhytmic and ominous piano song with metronome and organ, Christof: Sound illusions and using directional sound from performers as well as mouthing over sound. Other ideas: Fill room with smoke while darkness and sound playing, audience has to light up stage with phones)
    • Talk about songs and using different songs as transitions for scenes.
    • Further exploration of dating scene between horse and duck
    The group then agreed to each focus on an exercise that we will prepare for Monday. 
    • Ella: Dictator speech
    • Fra: Animal date
    • Christof: Sport exercises
    The goal is to define at the end of Monday what running order we will present for the first sharing in week 4.
    ]]>     2023-05-11 20:28:02 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2587746784     Monday 15th May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136041 Today we shared what we each worked on over the weekend in preparation for the sharing on Wednesday: Christof on the fitness fragment, Ella on the dictator speech and Francesca on the animal dialogue scene. 

    After trying on our first batch of wigs, we tried the animal dialogue but found the tube location didn’t work. We then tried the idea of it occurring as a ‘break’ in the middle of the show, where it could happen outside the auditorium at the bar and be projected inside the space.
    We decided Christof will cut the scene down slightly in preparation for tomorrow. 

    We then tried the dictator scene with Christof as the dictator (wig covering face) and Ella reading out the speech. We filmed this with two song choices, ‘I will always love you’ and ‘Ode to Joy’ both of which we thought worked for different reasons. We will record this tomorrow in prep for the sharing, playing with different camera angles also. 

    Christof then proposed his idea for the fitness fragment, where we encountered some technical difficulties, in terms of playing back the audience’s counting at faster speeds, that we need to sort out for Wednesday. 

    We decided the running order for the sharing on Wednesday, discussing the beginning of the performance with a) making the audience aware that we don’t have much time, creating urgency, and b) messaging the class beforehand to give them the option to send in their favourite wig in order to see an extra 5 minutes of performance. 

    Finally, we made concrete decisions on the framing of our final show, deciding that the show within the show will be called ‘The Wigs of Oppression, and we will adopt different ‘host’ personas, along with different fragments of recognisable TV programme structures. We acknowledged that this can allow us to play with a variety of different forms. ]]>     2023-05-14 16:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136041     Tuesday 16th May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136146 Today Francesca was absent, so Christof and Ella worked on the fragments for the sharing tomorrow.

    We filmed the dictator video, practised the animal dialogue without scripts, and consolidated the bookends of the show.

    We decided the order of the sharing as follows:

    • Piano ready, chairs for audience set up.
    • We send all people outside.
    • Ella gets the people who submitted a wig picture.
    • Christof tells them we have limited time.
    • Ella plays oppressive piano intro while Francesca and Christof set up the space.
    • Christof gets the rest of the people from outside and tells them we have limited time.
    • Christof asks audience to count to ten for him.
    • Ella comes on as show master and welcomes everyone to „The Wigs of Oppression“
    • Christof plays Dictator video which interrupts Ellas introduction speech.
    • Francesca, Christof and Ella do their Boal-Choreographies while Dictatorvideo plays.
    • Francesca calls for a break as soon as Dictatorvideo ends.
    • Ella and Christof put on their wigs and play animal scene.
    • Ella and Christof go directly into Workout scene, Francesca plays fat people slideshow.
    • Francesca joins workout scene with audience interaction part and ends scene and show.
    ]]>     2023-05-14 16:27:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136146     Wednesday 17th May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136205 Today we spent the morning preparing for the sharing. We ran through the order of fragments, making sure to remember props and tech cues.
    We will go through the audience feedback tomorrow and share reflections on the first sharing, in preparation to continue working towards the final performance.]]>     2023-05-14 16:27:10 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136205     Thursday 18th May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136397 Today we debriefed on the sharing, and discussed the audience's responses, which we will return to next week as we continue our process. 

    We then tried our the bin bag ‘Fast Fashion’ segment, finding that 3 minutes was a good amount of time for the ‘contestants’ to make their outfits. We discussed about using more ‘individual’ rubbish (e.g from our homes) but found that the bin bags made the comment we were aiming for about mass-produced, cheaply made clothing. We talked about the entrance of the contestants, for example them feeling repressed/not having a spark, and then being ‘transformed’ by their individual outfits. 

    Christof then showed us the Spanish Inquisition scene from Monty Python, and we talked about including a segment on ageism, something that is often overlooked. We improvised a scene, directed by Christof, where  Francesca played an old woman and Ella played her daughter. We will revisit this next week. 

    We then discussed all the forms of oppression we want to include in our piece, as well as setting out the different ‘worlds’ of the performance, deciding on the ‘show world’, the ‘abstract world’ and the ‘real world’. 

    Over the weekend we will each work on three scenes that we will workshop next week, with the aim to have nine scenes drafted by the end of Tuesday. ]]>     2023-05-14 16:27:31 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2590136397     Monday 22nd May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2600199648 Today we went through all the scenes worked in the weekend. Including:

    1. The dictator: it's going to be 3 scenes: 1st video: the dictator's speech is authoritarian in content and delivery. 2nd video: the dictator's speech is democratic in content but authoritarian in delivery. 3rd video: we are in the future, the dictator is now on stage, two caregivers spoon-feed him. (possibility for gibberish to add to other scenes)

    2. The social injustice. Christoff wrote the script. Three people from low, middle and high class talk simultaneously about their problems. (Possibility for character development with cigarettes/ alcoholic drinks / laughter) (Possibility for scene development of the laughter as a commercial/in the abstract world/in the media world as audience interaction)

    3.  Fitness: the countdown will start from Ella's entry. Ella will be changing the way she walks, till she's ageing and crawling. Christoff does handstand. Fra enters at the 50th second. 

    4. Fashion show: Ella developed the presenter's monologue. Names: Christina and Fransisco. They are very shy at the beginning and don't know what to do with the bags. Then they become more comfortable. TBD: how does it end? 

    5. Chicken trial: Ella wrote the dialogue. Chicken and pig. We added the witch. We will be turning roles. We bought the costumes. TBD: is it real or fiction?

    6. Commercial: it's going to be of a plough. 

    We also had a production meeting, defining what theatres we're gonna get in touch with. Ella will write them. We discussed the pitch and shared the reviewers. ]]>     2023-05-22 14:50:29 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2600199648     Tuesday 23rd May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2607095868 We worked 10-17. 
     
    - JUDGE: we rehearsed the process. We added the witch in the end. The 3 performers will be turning to represent each one a different character. Question: how do the characters appear?
    - DICTATOR: Christoff wrote the second dictator's monologue and we shot Christoff's two dictator's monologues in the terrace, and recorded Ella's voiceover.
    - COMMERCIAL: We shot a very basic demo of the plough commercial, with the objective to see if it works and how we can shoot it (Stonehenge?). We recorded a voice over for it.
    - 


    Afternoon: 
    - TECH: Iyas came over. We talked him through the concept of the show and considered what contribution he can give. He's now exploring live body mapping. We considered the Dictator's monologues and how they can be augmented, and the world of the future. Considered Ai videos, other tech interactions. We asked him to be our tech man in the next sharing, and scheduled that he'll be rehearsing with us next week. 
    - ABSTRACT: we shot 3 small videos related to "oppression", and recorded a concerted laughter and found tag words for each video. Fra will be editing them over the weekend. 
    - SHARING: we decided the 2nd sharing running order.]]>     2023-05-28 09:04:21 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2607095868     Monday 29th May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612948371 We worked on the sharing.

    We worked on the transitions and the general energy of the show.]]>     2023-06-02 13:11:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612948371     Tuesday 30th May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612948671 We worked on the sharing.

    Iyas came and we ran through the sequence technically.
    We created the slab sequence, with music, jingles and dictators. We went through it a couple more times to memorise.]]>     2023-06-02 13:12:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612948671     Wednesday 31st May https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612948944 We did the sharing. Videos and feedback available on the Drive.

    ]]>     2023-06-02 13:12:28 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612948944     Thursday 1st June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612949494 We de-briefed on the sharing.
    We watched the video of the sharing.
    We re-analysed the feedback, especially focussing on the fact that it seemed we were making fun of people rather than of the system and that the audience felt uncomfortably complicit in a sensitive matter.
    We considered different frames for the show. Christoff suggested to have three times, and 3 processes based on different societies (hunter-gatherer; capitalist; future). For each process there might be a different law (eye for eye, restorative justice, prevention).
    We analysed what point we are trying to make with each scene, and grouped them by theme. 
    We decided that we need a frame and a specific lens to look at  oppression. 

    ]]>     2023-06-02 13:13:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612949494     Friday 2d June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612961351 We worked on developing the piece.

    1. We started off with a physical exercise:
    Improv wigs
    - Wigs in a circle, dancer in the center. (Basic alphabet of Laban/che job movement. They dance in an element. They are moved by the element. They become the element. = They reach a specific energy.
    - With that energy, they are called by a wig. They pick the wig and transfer that energy to the wig. They make the wig dance. The wig leads the performer. The wig has that energy and dances by itself. The performer is invisible. The wig sees the performer and they dance together. The performer puts on the wig and dances, leading invisible performer. Ella was performing with Water energy and picked the orange wig. Possibility for creating characters with this method. Possibility for Orange Wig to be a character in other scenes.

    We went on reflecting on the frame of the show. We identified various approaches:
    - The play is set in the present times. It is a conference OR a documentary on "Is oppression inevitable for humanity?"
    - The play is set in the future, when all life is extinct. It is a conference, in which the Ai intelligences present (audience and one presenter, that might be a voice), need to decide whether they want to bring back biological life as it was or not.

    We suggested that the stage is empty, with a circle of wigs all around. That the performers wear skin-colour leotards and that there is a projection that varies at every scene and sets up the context (eg: a courtroom, a field, ...)

    Ella is going to write the class therapy scene for hunter-gatherers, Fra is going to write the introduction monologue of the Ai. Christof is going to write the trial.]]>     2023-06-02 13:27:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612961351     https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612990080 2023-06-02 14:01:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612990080 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612990110 2023-06-02 14:01:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612990110 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612990148 2023-06-02 14:01:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2612990148 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2613002852 2023-06-02 14:16:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2613002852 Monday 5th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2616167736 Today‘s  rehearsal consisted of the following points: 
    • We talked and decided on the frame of the show set as a conference in the future attended by robots that have to decide whether to being life back or not.
    • We then decided on showing max. 30 minutes of this show in our final sharing on 15 June.
    • Also we had a discussion on tech and costume that we need for the final sharing.
    • We then rehearsed two scenes
      • A reworked version of the trial scene
      • A new scene on the origin of life, which we mainly perform with wigs, lights and sounds

    At the end of the rehearsal we decided the scenes we would rehearse on Tuesday: The plough scene as well as a new version of the therapy scene. Christof additionally expressed the wish to make a clear narrative structure and suggesting it for the next rehearsal.

    ]]>     2023-06-06 18:08:18 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2616167736     Tuesday 6th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2616174919 Today's rehearsal consisted of some structural decisions and scene developments.

    Christof suggested a new structure for the finalized show integrating the ideas from the previous week and the scenes we have developed so far. The new structure follows the idea of a conference taking place in the future, where the audience has to decide whether they want to give life another chance or not. The dramaturgy of the show forms an argumentation that takes the audience through the pros and cons of giving life another chance, so at the end they can make an informed decision. Also the idea is to integrate interactive elements throughout, the answers the audience provides are then shared with the audience of the next show.
    We discussed this new structure and also the first part of it that we are going to show on the final sharing on 15th June.

    Afterwards we decided which scenes will be rehearsed for the remainder of the week, so we're ready to go into the final week of rehearsals with a strong and thouroughly rehearsed piece.

    We then used the rest of the rehearsal to fit the Group Therapy One (by Ella) and the Plough Commercial (by Francesca) to the new structure. In this way we developed a new choreography and new ideas for staging the plough commercial that will also make use of choreography.]]>     2023-06-06 18:17:21 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2616174919     Wednesday 7th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2617481732 Ella and Christof had a short meeting with Nohar and talked about the new frame of the show which Nohar really liked. Additionally, Ella and Christof worked on the Wigs of Life-Scene and tried out how we can work with lights and puppetry to make the scene come to life in a simple and yet poetic way.]]> 2023-06-07 20:28:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2617481732 Thursday 8th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2618403738 Today we met in the Board Room 2 and did a technical run through the entire script for the interim presentation on 15 June. Next to the rough staging of the different scenes we also looked at all the props, tech and costumes needed and organized what is still missing. Additionally, we adapted the script where needed and discussed the plans for the upcoming rehearsals.]]> 2023-06-08 15:07:33 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2618403738 Friday 9th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2620249409 Today we met in WAC Arts to record the conference leader videos and to work out the choreography for the Plough Scene. While Christof and Ella worked on their choreography of the Plough Scene Francesca created a baby wig for the History of Life scene.]]> 2023-06-11 15:04:47 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2620249409 Monday 12th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2621402128 Today was our first rehearsal in our performance space, Studio C. With the help of Iyas, our technician, we ran through each scene and identified what we still need to source, as well as writing down the lighting cues ready for programming tomorrow.
    We rehearsed each scene, troubleshooting along the way. However, we struggled with not having an outside eye, especially when there was only three of us in the room.
    We revised The Wigs of Life scene, but this felt static to us and that something is lacking. We will revisit it tomorrow with the finished soundscape composed by Ella, and fix it accordingly.]]>     2023-06-12 18:51:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2621402128     Tuesday 13th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2624743914 Today we were in Studio C, mostly technically fixing the space and programming the lights. 

    ]]>     2023-06-15 17:23:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2624743914     Wednesday 14th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2624745326 Today was our final rehearsal before the sharing. Apart from running through the performance, we sorted out our scenography and decided to hang the wigs from the rig, and acknowledge these in the performance as remnants of extinct beings. Additionally, we sorted out our projector frame and worked on making our aesthetics coherent. 
    We are excited for the sharing tomorrow! ]]>     2023-06-15 17:25:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2624745326     Thursday 15th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2624747546 Today was our interim presentation performance. In the hours before we ran through the piece and fine-tuned sections, before hanging up The Wig of Life and fixing some technical problems. 
    We received some really insightful and interesting feedback, and it felt like the audience were really intellectually and critically engaged with the performance. We're looking forward to further develop the piece and discuss our next steps tomorrow. ]]>     2023-06-15 17:29:21 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2624747546     Friday 16th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2625973891 Today we debriefed on the sharing feedback and talked about elements we felt went well and ones where there is room for improvement. We then went through our schedule for the summer, deciding on having a sharing on the 17th July, by which the piece should be finished. We also talked about roles and responsibilities going forward, dividing these amongst the group.

    In the afternoon, we went through the structure of the piece again, after the insightful sharing. We discussed questions about the world of the piece, such as what caused humanity to become extinct, and who our characters (assistants) are, and their attitudes towards the conference. 

    We decided upon our tasks for the weekend so we are ready with new and developed scenes to try in practice next week. ]]>     2023-06-17 11:38:47 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2625973891     Tuesday 20th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632785192 Today we did
    - we did the photoshoot for the poster and the promotions, together with Devian. We took pictures of each one of us, then together, serious, silly, and then just The Wig.  
    - we tried the shark tooth gauze. We realised its effect is quite cool but it's out of our budget and also we don't have a clear idea of how to include it in the design.
    - we tried out the scenes that each one of us had worked on for the weekend. In particular: Christoff's transitions; Ella's class scene with the addition of the advertisement, Fra's animal scene with the dialogue between Queen Ant and a Worker Ant.


    ]]>     2023-06-26 21:35:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632785192     Wednesday 21 June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632787003 We tried a re-writing of Fra's Animal scene, still not perfect. 
    We tried the 3 different finals written by Christof.]]>     2023-06-26 21:40:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632787003     Wednesday 21st June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632787240 Today we had meeting deciding what we were to do for the Saturday run through. The document can be found in W.9]]> 2023-06-26 21:41:36 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632787240 Saturday 24th June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632787969 We ran through the whole show. We realised that we need to revise many things, that can be found in the updated version of the the to-do list. We are very proud of having created a show in such a short time.]]> 2023-06-26 21:44:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632787969 Friday 23rd https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790070 today we did an analysis of our piece with Gemma Paintin. 
    We went through the elements of it, what each scene represents, how it looks now and how we want it to look in the end, what elements do not fit, peer feedback from our classmates. 
    We realised we have a narrative gap that we have to fill (the ex-trial scene). We will think about it next week.]]>     2023-06-26 21:50:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790070     https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790282 2023-06-26 21:50:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790282 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790388 2023-06-26 21:50:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790388 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790401 2023-06-26 21:50:47 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790401 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790419 2023-06-26 21:50:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790419 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790432 2023-06-26 21:50:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790432 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790456 2023-06-26 21:50:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2632790456 Tuesday 27 June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2635131991 Today we met for a rehearsal in the Litz Pisk Studio. We first quickly went over the trial scene and decided to rewrite it as a combination of classroom and original trial scene. Christof will take care of that.
    We then had a tutorial with Nohar about our process in term 3. This conversation sparked some more ideas about the AI relationship to humanity and their fetish for performing the human as well as bringing in artifacts from the "past", like smartphones and computers.
    After the tutorial we worked on the movement on the avatars in the space (lead by Francesca) as well as dance choreography for the AI ending alongside the song "One more time" by Daft Punk. ]]>     2023-06-29 12:16:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2635131991     Thursday 29 June https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2635135104 Today we met in St Peters 1 to run through the trial scene Christof had rewritten. The structure was approved with some more suggestions for changes that will be implemented until the end of the week.
    The rest of the time we spent with going over the rehearsal schedule as well as our to do-list, planning the coming rehearsals until mid July and individual responsibilites. The script will be finalized until the end of the week and the goal is for everyone to learn their lines, so we can just do run throughs from the 13 July on. Also material like music, video and slideshows should all be ready by 13 July, to implement it for another sharing that we will be holding on 17 July at Central.]]>     2023-06-29 12:22:28 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2635135104     Monday 3rd July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2639564782 Today Ella and Christof met to record the video footage and audio clips of all the conference leader sections. Christof brought in a range of accessories to complete the 'avatar' look, the idea being that they changed each section. We matched the accessory with the logic of the segment so it wasn't completely random. We filmed all the segments and they are ready for editing!

    ]]>     2023-07-06 10:00:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2639564782     Tuesday 4th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2639565308 Today Ella and Christof ran through the staging for the whole piece, going through each section and consolidating the stage directions in the script. These are now clear, both practically and physically, but we will need to see the space at CPT to check they will all work. ]]> 2023-07-06 10:01:21 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2639565308 Thursday 13th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2645330684 Today we came together as a whole group for the first time in two weeks and met with our mentor Jemima Yong. We talked briefly about her work and background and introduced our process so far and the point in development we are currently at. We then showed Jemima an entire run through of the piece and she gave us a number of statements and questions to consider.

    Statements (What happened?):
    • Tool leads to having power quite quickly (jump)
    • The way we describe history gives impression about the world we are in as avatars
    • What we're doing right now is holding a conference on humanity and not on biological life
    • The company love to dance and synchronized movement
    • Interaction of QR code and live vote is very powerful
    • Climate Change video: Make sure we don't show people (global power dynamics)

    Questions:
    • Are avatars making fun of humans? (Plough scene, man and woman)
    • What is the relationship between the assistants?
      • Do Assistants have names?
      • Do as Assistants have history?
    • What does each assistant feel about the conference?
      • Words like "foreseen", "expected", "unexpected
      • Why is audience's voice important?
    • Why is the conference leader seperate? What does it tell us about power?
    • Have we run this conference before?
    • What is the relationship between the assistants and their bodies? 
      • Do these Avatars control their bodies?
      • Do they just perform code that surges through them?
    • How is audience supposed to answer questions? As a human or as an AI?
    • If we're all AI: What do we all know? And what do we not know?
    • Mode of performing:
      • Who is performing humans? AI? Us?
    • Moments that speak to our time?
      • Statue was thrown into the scene
    • When is it worth it to interact with audience?
      • When is it not worth it? (When it does not have consequences)?
    • How do we perform?
      • Sincerity vs. Irony? (also related to stakes)
     



    ]]>     2023-07-14 19:40:10 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2645330684     Friday 14th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2645333659 Today we first took an hour to respond to Jemima's observations and questions. We wrote down decisions about the world in our "World"-document and implemented other decisions directly in the script. Then we went together through the Cue-list that Christof prepared and divided the remaining audio and video files among ourselves to prepare. In this endevaour we also recorded some remaining audio files. The rest of the rehearsal we spent with going through the staging of the second half of the piece.]]> 2023-07-14 19:52:24 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2645333659 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2645471077 2023-07-15 07:12:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2645471077 Saturday 15th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2647096277 Today we met in Central to do a technical run through of the entire piece, taking breaks to check the tech cues (audio, video) and the position of props throughout the show. Also more costumes and props arrived so that we should have the most part ready for the sharing on Monday.]]> 2023-07-18 09:14:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2647096277 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2647096428 2023-07-18 09:14:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2647096428 Monday 17th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652687431 Today we did a sharing.
    It was the first time we did the whole show in front of an audience, and as such, it went really well. We received some feedback, in terms of precision of the bodies, the voices, and the framing for the audience, and we are going to implement these.
    We are really happy to have the show now, so that we can keep working on it. 
    The audience particularly enjoyed taking on an avatar, the conference leader, the plough scene, and the multiple endings.
    The main critique (that we will implement) was that the audience interaction is set up as if the audience had real agency, but actually doesn't, so the expectations are disrupted and the audience feels a bit engaged after a while. 
    Also, the animal scene comes a bit out of nowhere. We decided to create a trailer for it and to invert it with the trial scene.]]>     2023-07-28 15:20:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652687431     https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652687542 2023-07-28 15:20:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652687542 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652687616 2023-07-28 15:20:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652687616 Friday 21st July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652688426 Today we went through the script again and discussed more inputs from a conversation Christof had with Helgard Haug of Rimini Protokoll. Ella is going away, so we went to have popcorns together.  Ella also received more wigs. ]]> 2023-07-28 15:23:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652688426 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652688794 2023-07-28 15:24:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652688794 https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652688852 2023-07-28 15:24:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652688852 Monday 24th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652690160 Today Fra and Christof met.

    We did some admin, as in, re-discussing to-do list and cues, and changing the script to implement more audience engagement and engagement with the theme. 
    We also worked out the best way to put on the wig, put it away, turn, grab an object, breathe. ]]>     2023-07-28 15:28:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2652690160     Tuesday 18th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653483208 Today we met to discuss the feedback of the sharing. We went through the feedback and divided which changes would be implemented by whom.]]> 2023-07-31 09:47:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653483208 Tuesday 25th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653485143 Today again Christof and Francesca met to work further on movements. We went through the entire script to make sure all transitions work with our new way of putting on wigs as assisstants. Furthermore, we looked at the movement of the wigs as puppetry and did a spray paint test for the mannequin heads.]]> 2023-07-31 09:53:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653485143 Friday 28th July https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653485796 Today, the three of us met on Zoom to run through the entire script with all changes and finalize this version of the script to learn our lines in August. Additionally, we went through our todo-list and also talked about production and advertisement tasks. We agreed to hold another sharing a week before the show at CPT to practice once again the audience interaction and solidify our performance.

    In the upcoming weeks we will work individually on our tasks, preparing the cues, scenography and costumes for the show as well as learning the lines before we meet again for a zoom meeting on 14 August and the last round of rehearsals on 21 August.]]>     2023-07-31 09:55:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653485796     https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653488090 2023-07-31 10:00:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ellazilkha/j7zbxaiofxxhrciv/wish/2653488090