By eleanorgatestuart Posted on

Catch Myself

Catch Myself – Frame by Frame

Image: ‘Baby Space’, © Prof’ Eleanor Gates-Stuart – Early testing in the Studio with Rafael DeLima (PhD Researcher) – CSU

 

‘Catch Myself’ – no room for self-doubt but rather a string of thoughts expressed through movement. No script, no choreography… only thinking and moving. Can movement inform thinking or will the thought of moving disrupt my thoughts.  Yes… it does sound abstract or even a bit crazy, however, if we consider a group of people doing the same thing and create a collection of stories, a set of experiences, would this ‘Catch Myself’ begin to make sense and resonate as a collective story … a body of knowledge, a shared intellect?

Certainly a collaboration.

Head to Head
‘The look in your eyes’, © Prof’ Eleanor Gates-Stuart

How would such a scenario transcend in various environments, the landscape, the shopping mall, the office, swimming, on stage, the classroom? …Is this impossible? Technology allows us to experience many spaces as we can enter a virtual world and place our mind and virtual ‘body’ in new places, spaces, worlds. What if we could exist in all these spaces at one time, how would the virtual ‘you’ communicate with the real you and how would that conversation – the interaction exist?

Catch Myself and the notion of self-reflection becomes a process of active and responsive thinking, possibly destabilising as stories are turned upside down and inside out, as we contemplate those spaces, the collective tiers of experiences and present new narratives. The dimensions of such are immeasurable, borderless and full of volume as visions are generated. 

Image: ‘Viewing You’ © Prof’ Eleanor Gates-Stuart – Photograph of York Stuart
Catch Myself, the story begins… no formality just chatting in the corridor, early morning – ideas flowing re: various dimensions of our existence. That being said, how do you talk to yourself if you are in another world / another space?, particularly in the VR world and in moving around in that space.  How would the world around you, the ‘real’ world exist? How would the world (the theatre audience) experience watching these two worlds? Would they be seeing it as it actually is.. someone moving around wearing a VR headset and that person’s world / activity being seen on a wider screen. Would the people around that person be interacting with that person in realtime, or with the time being lived through the VR world, or through a self-narrative?
The visual relationships between all these layers are vital as narratives are extracted and reformed. Developing stories and reframing ‘Who is in the view?’. That whole thing of being in the frame.. certainly prompts action of getting out of the frame .. it is all relevant. After all… Can you see what I thinking? Am I thinking that you can see me?
So where actually are we.. Charles Sturt University (CSU) over in the Creative Industries in Wagga Wagga. Rethinking our creative spaces, being playful with our maker tools and eager to be in our wonderful theatre space. The brief is open but if you would like to join me / us (Creative Industries) and collaborate in research practice – do get in touch.

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