JOURNAL
THE STARTING POINT - 24 people arrived at Totnes train station , Devon, across Saturday 6th / Sunday 7th July 1996. All equipped with professional skills in movement, choreography, sound, visuals, lighting, production / technical management, process direction, documentation critical debate, internet, photography and multi-media. Coming from Austria, Belgium, England, France, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Russia and Wales. Together for two weeks to research the group focus of LIVE PRESENCE, NEW TECHNOLOGY and NATURE.
The group is here to explore the human- technology interface. Investigating the connectors - effectors - reactors - sensors - they see and dream of. Setting the scene and creating the ecologies was the main work of the first three days. The starting point for the group was human to human work. The GETTING TO KNOW PROCESS involved - individual ten minute introductions to the whole group and put the list of names to bodies and thier histories, skills, work and perspectives - introductory information, focus point meetings and pratical matters by the Forum organisers, SHINKANSEN, London and FORUM DANCA, Portugal - social times, meals and a site vist around the laboratory / work spaces and site-specific surrounds of Dartington College. These activities got the group familiar with each other and the coming work ideas and enviroments.
The first two days saw a RESOURCE CENTRE go up on the site - brimming with books, magazines, reports, press cuttings. C.D.'s, tapes, CDRoms, and videos on arts, culture, technology, ecology, science, spirit and body sources - with the intention to make multiple resources available for group learning and research purposes. Within an hour of opening, the Resource Centre was full of people reading,listening, watching, making notes, working on computers and exploring computer software. The first point of focus for the choreographers was building necessary foundations for research around live presence and nature. The choreographer discussions explores the potentials of the body and it's movement research possibilities (ES). Debate was closely linked to site specific experiments outdoors.
Here the nature focus was the prime concern for these first days. These sessions were set to naturally evolve each others histories and skills in depth - to open the way for the body and idea potentials within the group to come through.
NATURE BROWSE
In a parallel universe were the production crew with the group aim of installing the technology, learning fast about what it offers and how it can all work together. In the studio as a producing crew working together to mix their media's, computer terminals with multiple applications and software potential, interactive vision equipment, sound machinery, interactive sensors and lightning rigs were installed. The technology set up went like a dream - only cable connectors raising small frustrations so far. Our aim of having a basic demonstration point for the end of Thursday was reached.
TECHNOLOGY DEMO
During these first days planning, managing, organising, signage and housekeeping details prepared an invisible backdrop behind all this activity. Setting the parameters, sensibilities and ecologies needed to get the group focus off the ground and running smoothly. Sealing the foundations for innovation and experimentation amongst a group of people who have not met before and who have core skills to give and take. A shopping trip to Totnes brought reality into the frame for some of us. A sense of GETTING READY was all pervasive. Energy levels building gradually. Thoughts wondering - inquiring, nervous, considering and serious. Committment to the group research focus is clear. Ideas generation is beginning to grab everyone's attention. An awareness ofthe challenges and new learning leels at play is being felt by all.
Tuesday at 5.30 p.m. was the high point of the preparations for the production crew, now ready to bring the fruits of their planning and work together for a demonstration to the choreographers. Information overload of the inter-active potential available to the group was presented - in a form which reflects as far as is known at present. A group improvisation followed for the whole group to have a chance to play, experiment with their bodies and the technologies, to discover where their research starting points might be.
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