Research Meeting Notes, 25 January 2010

Does Audience Participation lead to enhanced internalization?

Brains vs conditioning: developmental norms in kids vs cultural differences in adults.

We should establish a questionnaire for selected audience members to fill out, or have a feedback session or discussion group and take many notes.

How about....
--a 30 second film or piece?
---Film has the benefit of being exactly repeatable.
---the flicker may hold attention
---live may be more fun but it is subject to conditions/constraints of space.

Woman Without Piano--emotive music during otherwise stagnant scenes. sound affects perception.

Film vs Live vs Photos

Verbatim Theatre--what is the effect of knowing that a story is true? (does this make things too complicated?)

Proud Gallery/Horseplay: Could we show a short film? With CCTV in the room? Perhaps include a comment book or shouting space to record responses.

Specific communities--most relevant to us.
--small enough to be manageable.

How do we find and organize people?

Perhaps we should talk to street performers:
--do you move around or stay put?
--where do people stop and watch? where do people put money in the hat?
--what is the reaction between an audience who chooses to be there vs an unwitting audience?
--how do we find these communities? How do we get them to see our shows?

Find a point you can always get back to. have a throughline.

remember that big generalizations are bad.

simple specific.

relation to senses--what if audience is blind? deaf? paralyzed?

Birth, Death, Fucking, and Shitting--these are universal.

Kissing vs Hugging in greeting re: multiculturalism.

Kissing in public--Signs of Affection. (signs brings semiology baggage)

people's reactions to kissing based on clothing, movement, facial expressions

Seeing your own experience played back at you

Something that can be Titled?

Kissing in Public--An Observer Study

How do we ensure that we don't over-extend our generalizations derived from research while still drawing useful conclusions from data?

How do we avoid a Western-Dominant stance in our study?

Does audience participation/interaction enhance interpretation/engagement with the performance?

Can we create work, as Westerners, that is truly intercultural?

Can you retain your culture in London, or does London adapt your culture to it?

we live in a white plastic culture--what does this do to identity here? What is Woman in White Plastic Culture?