It’s still unbelievable for us to get it , our collective project !
Actually , from the beginning , we almost spent a month to discuss every detail , rehearsal ,and then try to realize its original author , Helen’s background and idea via reading her works .
In deed , we have learned plenty of concept in virtual world whole semester , such as live exposure via webcam , collapsing distance and space , not to mention about collective work , which one we have always done in the later semester .
So , I have to analyze we r now[here] in theoretical and performance perspective !
part 1 .) In Helen’s article , Adventures in Cyberformance ,( Ch-4 ) What is cyberformance? (2008)
Cyber performance , as its called , performs digitally-aided ; although it brings people together locally and remotely in dialogue , however , sometimes , it relies on unstable medium , which gives it uncertainty and risky . It’s just like a boat ,enduring storm , but actually new mainland is just few miles away .
Helen also mentioned about there are two fundamental aspect of this kind of work : location and liveness.
Former, sometimes indicates that performer and audience are present in the same moment ,so it is living ; in fact , they are in different space ,which makes us feel like illusion. But , this illusion , indeed , makes impossible become possible , and bridges 3rd space with real world .
the notion of a performance being incomplete until it is presented to an audience (Bennett, 1997).
Finally , the work from cyberforamce ,“unfinished”, is the term artists used to describe . Just from the meaning of the word you should misunderstand , it points out this work can’t make it by just creator , but it is really a collective work , so everyone is as important as its author .
part 2.)
From this project , I find it is very different between theoretic discussion and practical performance . That ‘s although we did at least three times mobile practice to make us manipulate our webcam without troubles and to prevent unstable wifi . However , at the beginning of performance , the Internet really teaches us a lesson that it ‘s full of risk (how come wifi can’t work !!!)
From the work itself , I really like the part of background voice like audience’s talking or ticking as if it just happened in our real life . To be frank , I think it did a great job of linking irrelative thing to audience . I remembered that one audience tried to discuss about the work after the performance . He wondered is there anything from the webcam meaningful ; indeed, we rehearsed for several times what we wanted to present from our webcam . I think I will answer yes and no . We must try to convey some kind of message from our webcam , but , sometimes , it’s just a moment you think you have to do ,and then you did it . For me , collective working is even more important than every shoot .
Last , this project is so special not only because , we ,normal students , can be a performer of this awesome work , but also different from Jennicam , the Big Kiss, etc. We really come out of virtual world , and interact with them with physical body ,specially the part of selfie , every’s pixel switching as the music as if we were finally here whatever physical or virtual body.
Thanks everyone ; thanks for our perseverance ; I do believe it will be a forever work in everyone’s heart .