Artefacts from the British Museum's exhibition- 'I object'
Below are artefacts at the British Museum that I thought were particularly powerful with a brief description of their significance. In class, we made mind maps of a few of these objects and we decided a good way for us to really get to grips with them was to relate them to modern social issues and protest subjects.
This sketch caught my eye whilst I was looking around the I object exhibition as it is quite obviously rude and unconventional which made me think about the meaning behind it and more 'in your face' approaches to protest that can be used.
The 'pussy hat' shown in the picture on the right is a more modern form of protest that I can personally relate to as with Donald Trump currently being president more and more women are feeling as though their rights aren't being heard.
The object to the right caught my eye as it is an ordinary object at a first glance, however, represents rebellion within the structure and materials used to make it.
When reading about the context of this object I found it very interesting as an early rebellion of social class and equality throughout all different classes. It takes the fundamental concept of death and highlights that death will come to everyone no matter what status they may be therefore everyone is fundamentally equal.
Defacing currency was a popular method of quiet protest as it would go through many members of the public- one example was this banknote which was defaced with a Grim Reaper figure that is shown on the left. Currency is something that goes around everyone so it is a smart and innovative way to share ideas.
The subtlety of the message in this object is very interesting as someone could almost walk by it and not notice the deeper meaning. When reading the explanation I found it interesting to think about the concept of perfectionism.
The images to the right are all relating to the topic of police brutality in Hong Kong and a movement which developed into 'The Umbrella Movement' as citizens who were protesting used yellow umbrellas for protection from things like tear gas. I felt this object was something that could tie into our performance very well as I feel people can often be oppressed in society and everyone should have a right to share their opinions.
Project Workshop
30/10/18
Today we read through Ian Hislop's introduction to the exhibition we were looking at then we looked at 4 objects and some context behind them. We wrote ideas about the objects themselves and what they represented and then we related this to modern day social issues. We spent a long time discussing current protest which helped us start to develop ideas for our performance.
We also picked out some keywords relating to the exhibition and noted down definitions for each one:
Dissent- having/ expressing opinions that are not the same as those commonly/ officially held.
Dissenting- someone would be 'dissenting' from the common views.
Subversive- (disruptive) someone may week to subvert an established system.
Subversion- undermining of the power/ authority of an established system.
Orthodox- following generally accepted rules/ beliefs of religion/ politics etc.
(the) Establishment- things to do with the country/ government/ police. (The status quo)
Satire- mockery/ ridicule of those in politics or other positions of power/ authority.
Authority- those with the power to enforce decisions/ give orders or enforce obedience.
Protest- a statement/ action demonstrating disapproval or objection.
Objection- An action of disapproval or disagreement.
Ridicule- making a mockery of someone or something.
British Museum visit
01/11/18
When visiting the British Museum we were shown the space we would be performing in and we discussed how far forward the barriers would be. We then made our way to the exhibition where we were given worksheets with questions to fill out while we walked around which helped us get a sense of the exhibition and develop our own take on the objects.
Project Workshop
05/11/18
We reflected on our visit to the British Museum and started to write about things we would personally like to protest about. We made pretest banners and wrote about these ideas on pieces of paper- mine were the ones about mental health in schools.
We opted for simple and concise slogans to help convey our message in the most powerful way. We also discussed we may use placards with slogans like the ones on the left in our performance.
Project Workshop Research
05/11/18
My chosen protest theme is Mental Health awareness in schools. There are various articles online promising more mental health education in schools however there is little evidence this is happening- and if it is it isn't happening fast enough. The article highlights that PSHE is a vital part of bringing children up to be well-rounded individuals and have the appropriate knowledge about the challenges of the adult world.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/mental-health-education-england-compulsory-schools-sex-relationships-children-a8453596.html
Whilst searching for articles about mental health awareness I stumbled across a website dedicated to making sure primary and secondary schools have a proper system in place to support and educate their children on mental health. They have a petition on their website to sign to help with awareness of this subject.
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-schools-make-it-count/sign-our- petition-make-it-count-mental-health-schools
Project Workshop Research
12/11/18
Conduct some research on protest as a performance theme, can you find any examples of shows/ performances that have a political objection as an underlying theme. What performance forms do they use to communicate this?
I have decided to centre this research task around musicals that have underlying political themes that they brought to life through performance. The first musical I researched was 'Hair"
- The musical 'Hair' caused great controversy when released as it pushed the boundary of all the current social norms and began to open up the world to this idea of freedom and expression. The musical follows a community of 'hippies' during the Vietnam war where young people were sent to fight in. The musical raises the question of what young people want to fight for, the Vietnam war or to fight for the emergence of a new generation. They believed in peace and love and felt free to express themselves however they like. The director, Tom O'Horgon, made a bold decision to put a nude scene in the show, wanting the audience to see the opinions and social standards held by the younger generation.
https://actipedia.org/project/hair-american-tribal-love-rock-musical
- 'Rent' is also centred around the younger generation and deals with the struggles young adults have to face. The title alludes to many of the themes in this musical; the financial burden on students graduating from college, the temporary nature of these peoples lives and can also mean torn- which many of the characters are. The story also raised awareness of AIDS as two of the characters were suffering from this. "Rent is about a community celebrating life, in the face of death and AIDS, at the turn of the century."- one line summary of the show by Jonathan Larson. He also wrote, before his tragic death that:
http://www.newlinetheatre.com/rentchapter.html
- 'Spring Awakening' is set in Germany in the 1800s. It is about rebellion in a very religious and authority based community. The title relates to the blooming of flowers in springtime, and the development of teenagers into adulthood. The show explores innocence and growth and links all its themes together very well through song titles. For example, the final song is called 'Song of Purple Summer' and hints very cleverly to power and authority. The colour purple symbolizes royalty- which is the ultimate power in this time period. The idea of power over others, power over situations and power to succeed shapes this musical into a wonderful and thought-provoking piece of theatre.
- I came across an article debating the importance of protest in theatre and the impact it has on society. I picked out some quotes that stood out to me that may help inspire my own protest performance.
"Perhaps a play at the Royal Court, however angry and urgent and edgy, is unlikely to bring about social change on its own, but at a grassroots level, theatre-makers can enable communities to come together socially, end isolation, solve local problems and articulate their ambitions. Every time they do so they are challenging the dominant culture and established ways of thinking and doing and proving that theatre and activism are excellent bedfellows, more powerful together than apart.'(Gardner, 2016)
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2016/mar/23/theatre-effective-protest-activism-change-debate
Bibliography:
Edel, V. (2015). Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. [online] Actipedia. Available at: https://actipedia.org/project/hair-american-tribal-love-rock-musical [Accessed 15 Dec. 2018].
Miller, S. (2016). Inside RENT. [online] Newlinetheatre.com. Available at: http://www.newlinetheatre.com/rentchapter.html [Accessed 15 Dec. 2018].
Gardner, L. (2016). Staging a revolution: can theatre be an effective form of activism?. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2016/mar/23/theatre-effective-protest-activism-change-debate [Accessed 15 Dec. 2018].
13/11/18
Describe some ideas you might have for costumes and props and how they would link to your idea of protest.
I'd like to relate my costume to my protest theme of mental health awareness in schools. I would like to have an item of clothing that resembles some kind of school uniform, as I want to highlight the struggling school children have with mental health and stress. I think my movement and characterisation will show most of my protest theme, therefore, I want to keep the costume quite simple.
Project Workshop Research
19/11/18
Conduct some research on your protest theme, what do you want to object to and why, what is the background to your assessment, can you find any existing protests either public or political or creative or written.
My protest theme is mental health awareness in schools. I couldn't find many performances linked to specifically to mental health in schools however I found some particularly inspiring performances based around general mental health.
'Next to Normal' is a musical about a woman and her family, who suffered the death of her infant child leaving the mother with bipolar depressive disorder. It explores the struggles of mental illnesses and the effect this can have on a family and how a family can come back from trauma.
Project Workshop Research
26/11/18
describe the costume you are going to wear- how does it link to your protest theme. what design have you put on your placard and why?
My costume consists of a school uniform-like jumper with a pair of black dungarees. The pop of colour together with the plain black is my protest towards the oppression held by many schools that trigger mental health issues.
Final Performances:
Below is my unit 3 and 4 evaluation
evaluation
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