“Passing the time” creation
At the moment I am working on a duet for the Dance Nexus Festival at the end of August. It’s been an interesting process so far. I started with a piece of music that inspired me. It was to be the basis for the piece. Then the marketing for the festival required a title. So I was pushed to name the piece without having its details fully established. To do this, I went into the feeling of what I want to express and came up with “Passing the Time”. The naming of the piece suddenly opened up a whole new part to the creation as the feeling of the first piece of music was only partly encapsulated the title.
What do I mean by “passing the time”?
In my head it’s that moment of nothing. The moment between action. The moment where one may have to wait or have nothing to do.
what is this moment?
how does it feel?
and what happens then?
My personal experience says its feeling can be on a wide spectrum. Feelings I came up with:
daunting - anxiety producing
an empty void
frustration, boredom or restlessness
energy building in anticipation of what is to come.
curiosity and play
relaxation
soothe and regenerate
These are the themes that I came up with. And so, to produce and express them in a duet.
My next step was to search for a soundscape to fit the theme and represent its feeling. Through artists I previously had in mind, I came across some music pieces that inspire me. To create an atmosphere and integrate these pieces I’ve been experimenting with sound effects. My first association with time is a ticking clock. It gives that feeling of how time passes - a measurable definition.
The inverse also came to mind - how time stretches. It occurred to me especially in these moments of waiting, some moments can take forever. Others are so fleeting that I never get have the chance to be present or find the feeling I want.
Adding to the musical landscape I have been scrapbooking. It's an immersion process and source of inspiration to look for as many different ideas on the theme as I can find. New perspectives that I haven't thought of, pictures, images, symbols and quotes. The internet is such a wonderful rich place to search right on your fingertips.
Things I have found out / remembered by exploring the idea so far:
It’s amazing how the feeling of time changes. I created a music track which listening to seemed quite harmonious and clear. Get up and move to it and suddenly it feels different.
My aim is to establish a deep connection with the feeling expressed. For example: the pauses and breath needed felt missing as the visual stimulus came into play. A ticking clock when you listen to it is clear after a short while. Yet the nuances of how this feels, expressed and transmitted to a viewer take a lot longer to pass on. Inversely, sections that musically felt ok, suddenly became repetitious and drawn out. Seeing someone move to them, gives a whole other feeling. In the end, experimentation and physical implementation is so important to find how long an idea needs to express itself in full. It all comes down to intuition.
Miss the clarity and you can get a little lost.
As I started working on the idea, I went into the studio and improvised to the music. Sure the music, being an extension of the idea, had the right influence. Yet the ideas expressed in movement lacked clarity. Feeling yes, form no! So back to the drawing board I went to find the form. I find form often comes from a head space. It is thought out and constructed. It gives the ideas clarity, yet is empty without feeling. So what I am searching for is the right mix of form and feeling. To find that sweet spot where both support each other to express the idea together.
This is how far I have come… On with the creative process!
Continued on the next page