Performance Installation

Romeo Castellucci is a major point of reference when thinking about the performance installation we are conceiving for 'Serial Blogger'. The sensorial, aesthetic and affective theatre of suspended moments, shocking imagery and gothic themes culminates into an uncanny and thrilling specticle.

"The arresting power of the imagery and the sound of Castelluci’s theatre invites rich psycho-emotional reaction, happily bypassing rationalism, plunging the viewer into a space which is at once foreign and familiar, a space which is a type of core, a fundamental where the intellect and the senses are neutralised." from realtime

I think it's vital we find our venue asap. We want the performance and design elements to be as site specific as possible, which means it is going to feed heavily into what we do and how we do it.

Map of Federation Square

Maybe an exploration is in order...

Here are some images I think can easily be read as sinister.

I also like the idea of using red, black and white as colour schemes only.

BUT, that kinda rules out the lovely 'Microsoft/Screen Blue' which not only works well with projections but also on film...who knows.

 I like the brightness of these images asopposed to the dark glumness of the scenes below. Although, these scenes could come to life through night lights and video effectsand editing...

I want to integrate Perspex and Mirrors into the space somehow to try and create a sense of multiple perspectives, varying levels of reality etc.

I want to use mundane household objects and turn them into the scene of the crime. The murder will be installed in the object, eg.

- Inside a shower screen block

- Inside an open Fridge

- Over a sexy bar at the venue

I want the lighting to support the media by being flashy, bright, and also quite intrusive.

I see the whole space being white, so the lighitng could be quite clinical, fluro etc. 

I like the way the lighitng in Dexter also lights the characters in a clearly ominous way, for example they are ont affraid to light the characters face half red, or green, or whith classic film noir 'shutter' shadows.

I also want the lighting to feel like the serial killer put it there with a purpose. It aids his plan, ie. is placed over the medical table etc.

As for the film lighting, this could possibly be done through over exposure and blow outs, or through radid editing or slowing hte footage up or down.

Rolling on the idea that the serial killer is a failed actor and recites Shakespere, and re-enacts Shakespearean killings, I want the set to both compliment and contrast this. I want it to be a kind of hyper-real world which is very stark, white, medical, and clean, almost like the gallery space that Spacement is/was.

I envisage the main character and Lily (upstairs at bar) wearing quite classic, corset/frilly period costumes but that there would be some sort of a twist. For example the costumes couldbe painted white, or might be made out of found objects/fabrics which are quite modern. Lily's dress would extend up into the ceiling and become the projection surface.

This motif would also be continued on downstairs where everything would be painted white. There would be a very clinical feel also. Instead of a bed, there is a metal  medical/morge table with a dead body on it. There then might be a mirror, or white lense which could house projections.  Or even, this table could possibly only have clothes on it, laid out in the shape of a person.

The back room could also be a kind of trophy room where the killer houses the clothes he made his victims wear...?

I also want the 'lair' to feel like the killers home in a kooky sort of way. Possibly there are fridges, freezers, old shower screens etc.

Plastic doors, medical lamps etc. But it does not look like a home, it looks like a work of art, very minimal, but loaded!

These images and the previous are references for Lily's character- a romantic, tragic heroine in a flowing dress (which will be abstracted).

I like the way this image is 20th c. but has medieval connotations, religious overtones, and suggests the grim creepiness of the everyday.

The exposed structures in these gauthic vaults are like beautiful skeletons.

Note the checkered floor- gives an institutional and timeless feel.

Another gothic reference... I love the funereal quality of this.

Something like this would give the space the sense that it is a

cherished room, a sanctuary, a holy space. We were talking about the flowers

all being un- real in some way, maybe all painted white. 

Good lamp and table... we are going to mix up the visual styles.

It will end up being very minimal and spare. 

Dark Prince:

-Vlog 1:

Response to Others

-Vlog 2:

Request to meet Lily

- Stalks Lily

- Confront MetaZorion

- Wine and Dine Lily

- Confront Aeryca

- Death

Aeryca:

- Vlog 1

Feminity and Jealosy 

- Vlog 2

Connection to Prince

- Discovers Prince's Lair

- Watches Other Killings

- Confronts Prince - and Poisons Cup

- Death

MetaZorion:

- Vlog 1 

The Protector

- Vlog 2

Suspicion

- Protects Lily/Stakeout

- Discovers Lair

- Confrontation

-  Death

DancerGirl_23

- Vlog 1

Hommage to Others

- Vlog 2

Ophelia Dance

- Meets Prince

- Wine and Dine at Lair

- Death 

Thought that a costume like this might be worth thinking about for the 'Dark Prince' in his Lair. I like the way it is a bit slouchy, kind like his PJ's, especially in juxtaposition to the stern Shakespearean costumes he will be wearing in his blogs.

Hi Guys, 

 Sounds like you've already got lots to go on for inspiration for design but let me chuck in another one to the mix, with a Gothic feel.

 Holly Hunter in The Piano - Sam Neill's character takes Holly out into the mud & rain and chops off her finger off with an axe as punishment for her adultery. 

This part of the movie is subtitled "I clipped  her wing" - I can't find a good screen shot showing her in the mud but this is her face.

MarkT

Just liked the idea that we might light through the medical tables...? I saw from a Dumb Type image of their 1997 show OR that you can get them and got a bit inspired...

I love Castelluci's aesthetic in 'Hey Girl'. It's the stark, and almost science fiction, yet fuses elements of the gothic and the classical.

Google this image if you can't see it. It's a decapitated woman carrying a weapon, dressed in silver body paint. Similar to the direction we were going to Take Fanny's character in...but she may be heading to a more 'romantic' look...?? 

I want the space to be like a dream space, not a real space. I want the
aesthetic to compliment and highlight the films. We are working with a
film maker/editor who is influenced by the style of 'Chris
Cunningham'.  I have a DVD of both the film artist and Cunningham's
work which you can look at. You could also watch the rushes of the
vlogs, if you think that would help. The style is hyper-real, with lots
of flashes, sped up footage, fast edits and images from the characters
inner psychology. I think this works nicely with a clean, medical
aesthetic personally, but that's just my preference.

In terms of the killer, there is the thought that he is like a
mash artist, who mixes and edits his reality. He communicates through
the language of Shakespeare, trying to re-enact the killings/murders
because of his family history. His reality is not a normal reality. He
mashes sounds, images and videos together: giving a feel of distorted
reality, confusion of time, and the general dream scape.

I want the space to be like the space of his mind. Clinical,
meticulous, cunning, psychological and artistic. I have been having
faux 'shrink' sessions with the killer and he feels no remorse for his
acts. To him they are modern works of art, transforming Shakespeare
into the 21st Century.  We have also uncovered that his view of women
is very harsh, as, like Hamlet his mother plotted in the murder of his
father and he feels much remorse for this. This has caused a general
hatred toward women which I think can come out in the way Fanny and
Lily are represented in the space. Venerable, roaming, slightly insane,
manipulative, chained or hooked up etc. (Of coarse this is HIS view and
NOT how Fanny, Lily and I plan to embody the characters) I also feel
that the medical aesthetic ties into this thread, as the tables,
examination themes show women and his victims as test subjects, meat,
and disposable, damaged, viral etc.

Finally I want the installation to be like a macabre waltz
back in time, slipping from one reality to the next, the characters are
like puppets in the killers head, re-animated for his pleasure. I want
the audience to feel an affiliation toward the characters, like a
sadness for them, but I also want the space to be dangerous, electric,
extreme and undidactic. I want the audience to make up their own minds
about whether or not these brutal acts of murder are art, or even
reality. Would we really come in contact with killers on the internet??
In Melbourne?? Should we reveal ALL of ourselves on the Internet, or
should we 'watch out'? I want to challenge the audience and put them
face to face with their own fears, fantasies, desires and dreams. And I
want to celebrate the figures on the internet, and the space of the
internet at the same time. I like a space that has no structure, no
time, no narrative, and where we make our own journey....

Just a few ideas as to what the texts and images that appear around the space could be.

I like the idea of plastic/perspex boxes...know it's expensie though. These could house text, images and even video??

We could use text from Neitzsche, Blogging the Fifth Nail (Serial Killers Blog), Foucault, Japanese Death Poems, music lyrics, and wikipedia facts and psychological facts about Serial Killers. (see Research Section)

I want the text to ellude to what's going on in the performance space  but also to generally house our research and to enrichen what's going on with greater meaning. I don't want the text to be didactic, just random thoughts, quotes that fuel peoples imaginations and perspective on what they are seeing.

Harriet

 I like tables with straps - utlitarian, functional tables with strong devices for restraining.   Somethign that looks like it has been used a fair bit... gulp.  Here's a picture of a lethal injection table.  It looks a bit new, but I do like the sturdiness of the staps, and the fact you can tighten them...

MarkT

I like that exquisite and user-friendly style you've got on this blog. I enjoyed this essay particularly. I'm very interested in this subject and searching the net to find something useful. Thank you for this info.

Because such a big amount of soccer jerseys have been attracted to the sport in recent years, it’s now very fashionable to wear a soccer jersey that shows support for your favorite team, and also the fashion for carrying a soccer jersey is found not just with teens, but with folks cheap soccer jerseys all walks of life.

The cartier love bracelets
Astroregulateur timepiece offers a 50mm case created from
niobium-titanium alloy. It is water resistant for up to 30 meters.
Overall, this timepiece is a well-balanced masterpiece of cartier love jewelry
making. It is for sale in 18k white gold or titanium. The crown also
features cabochon made of sapphire. Take note that there is only 50
pieces of this cartier bangles
available in the market. Watch connoisseurs and collectors who choose
to buy this watch certainly won't regret making the purchase. This
model, like all others in the cheap cartier jewelry for sale series, is designed to last a lifetime. Its beauty can be passed from one generation to another. For some individuals, the cartier bangles timepiece also makes for the perfect gift.

The cartier love bracelets
Astroregulateur timepiece offers a 50mm case created from
niobium-titanium alloy. It is water resistant for up to 30 meters.
Overall, this timepiece is a well-balanced masterpiece of cartier love jewelry
making. It is for sale in 18k white gold or titanium. The crown also
features cabochon made of sapphire. Take note that there is only 50
pieces of this cartier bangles
available in the market. Watch connoisseurs and collectors who choose
to buy this watch certainly won't regret making the purchase. This
model, like all others in the cheap cartier jewelry for sale series, is designed to last a lifetime. Its beauty can be passed from one generation to another. For some individuals, the cartier bangles timepiece also makes for the perfect gift.

Great precise info, I've been searching on this topic for a while. Bookmarked and recommended!

Burberry
stamp canvas on sale