On the 28^th of January, I visited The Collection Museum and Usher Gallery for the first of many trips for my site specific performance. We were allowed to look around the different spaces to gain inspiration as to how we could use them. To try and visualise a place that is not specifically for performing in was challenging but interesting too. I had to stretch my mind to think of what the possibilities could be, but that would still adhere to the strict protocols in place for the safety of the exhibitions and the public. Not being a particular arty person, after watching John Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’ video, I felt this helped greatly. His ideas are based on perception and how this creates the appearance of reality. Not only that, but the way in which we see the paintings can alter depending on where and when we see them; our perception is as significant as the picture itself.

Another key point I picked up was that, “the most important thing about paintings themselves is that their images are silent, still” (Berger, 1972) and this can be very striking to experience. As one of my tasks was to find a piece of art about silence, I felt this linked in well. I looked at the concept of silence and how it is usually a sign of contemplation or reflection (something that are key within both museums and art galleries) but also how it is so rare to have complete silence – there is always background noise. The experience of pure silence can be disturbing and maddening. The quietest place on earth is the anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories and the longest anyone lasted was 45 minutes, “When it’s quiet, ears will adapt. The quieter the room, the more things you hear…In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound.” (Thornhill, 2012) This idea sparked many thoughts about silence and art together, something which I’ve attempted to explore in my 1 minute text performance.

    – The anechoic chamber

Bibliogrpahy

Thornhill. T (2012) We all crave it, but can you stand the silence? The longest anyone can bear Earth’s quietest place is 45 minutes. The Daily Mail [Online] 3rd April. Available from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2124581/The-worlds-quietest-place-chamber-Orfield-Laboratories.html#ixzz3QirwGXGu [Accessed: 3rd February 2015]

tw1975. 2012. John Berger/Ways of Seeing, Episode 1 (1972) [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDE4VX_9Kk [Accessed: 3rd February 2015]