work in progress sharing at Virginia Tech, April 6

I performed a little “work in progress” for Ann Kilkelly (Thesis advisor) at Virginia Tech today. She invited a few people, so there were about six people to witness and discuss. The discussion opened lots of doors for me to see my way into new avenues for exploration, and current places that I can deepen. I was looking for general response, and an opportunity to have a discussion prompted by the work. To explore if the piece could prompt discussion – not just of the work, but of the concepts being played with in the work both content and aesthetically. I laid out three questions, and opened the door for additional discussion as well.

My questions were:
What gestural movements resonated, supplied an image (related or not to the content)?

Do you need to know “The Annunciation” to understand this commentary on the Annunciation?

What questions do you want to explore after seeing this piece? What personal question would you like me to ask you – that we might have in a coffee shop chat?

Following is an outline of the discussion/responses. Some were responses to my questions. Some were responses from the viewer’s own questions.

Gestural resonant: the deep “ahhhhh” at the beginning with the arms open. Resonant of a crucifixon and also some sort of silent scream to god. Also – the “computer” gesture, the silencing gesture, and the tripping over words.

The long section where there are no words – that begins with the pushing over of the lungs. – Felt like a camera directed to watch just where the hands were moving to next.

The alphabet falling – a stop in time. Suspended in time. Waiting for the “no”or for what that answer would be.

Discussion ensued about even though by the title I had set up the “no”, still in that moment time suspended and the answer was not apparent. Some wondered about that “no’ is just so ingrained as the wrong answer this confusion, doubt, becomes a strong moment. It is ordained that she must say ‘yes’ – confounds this moment. There actually is no option. It is ordained, she must say yes. One person said” even though I knew the title, I was still surprised when she said ‘no’”. There was discussion about whether I did have her say no, or not.

The piece suggests that angels can make mistakes.

Speech that won’t come out, speech that can’t get itself together.

Visuals: people felt very strongly about their visual image of the roof. One person said that it was especially the gesture and the image of the pebble kicked loose that nailed the image.

-It raised questions about gender and authority. The limitations of being in this world. Of choices, in small places.

Possible link to explore- in this current version Gabriel is a loveable, comic figure. What happens if he poses a threat? What makes her have to say yes or no to him? Why does he say “Fear not”?
What if Mary says no, but God says yes. Annunciation is a kind of rape. (I want to play with this in the moment where he is seeing his reflection in her eyes: what does he see?_)

Gabriel has performance anxiety.

If I go into the rest of the Hail Mary text, which invokes the rape imager – what happens?

What is Gabriel actually bringing?
Holy Spirit
Penetration

Looking at the role of Mary is intercessor. You can’t pray directly to God – you go through someone else. To the Father, you go through the Mother.
Maybe that’s a good question for a group: What is an intercessor? When are you an intercessor?

Maybe God is bad at expressing him/her/itself? Like the tradition of having someone else write your love letters.

“I could see the letters of the alphabet” spilling, jumping, making words. “I could see Gabriel stepping on them, tripping over them, picking up the ‘no’.

Which led me to – what if the no wasn’t really a no, but her just needing some time to think (Nicole’s comment from rehearsals) and Gabriel just didn’t leave any wait time.

“I was anticipating the large event of the ‘no’, and it isn’t there. It is almost a non-event. The events that seem to be larger are:
- Gabriel trying to find his words
- The alphabet spilling

In the work as it exists now, we don’t actually hear Gabriel ask the question.

We will understand the value of Mary’s no through Gabriel’s reaction. Off shoot – how was Gabriel to know that it had happened? (The conception)

“Made me think about Mary’s traditional response – a song of submission. Made me ask – how is this inside of me?”

What happens, when inspite of my disbelief – something amazing happens?

Where is eros? Does it exist? Is it absent?
Logos, the principle of the word – the thing that shuts her down. That makes rape rape.
What happens to Mary’s body? To the narrator’s body? In watching the phsycalitity, that which is more multiple than the words – what does it mean to desire in the world.


“Desire for me to tell more of the story” “Desire to hear a yes” “or hear a no. “
“In desiring to hear more of the story – I also knew exactly how that story should go as well. How I desired for that story to go.”
“maybe part of the eros is in the cooking which is to proceed the show?”

Response to the text messages during the show – if I reject them, its like mini refusals. A rehearsal of her refusals.

Erotic, orgasmic qualities of annunciation paintings. How they make pleasurable the act of being submissive.

The piece brings the luggage that everyone carries in regard to this material. The discussion has been interesting for me to learn about other people’s luggage.

My body, in textures and details does something in relation to the 2dimensionality of the story.

From my question about the coffee shop chat – question: How did you come to understand, how did come to learn this story?. Steve talked about basement Sunday school, the illustrations in the Sunday school book, “So when I see the performance, I get the tension of the visit, which is not in the bible story.”

Ann “The inescapabilty of the absence of faith”

“Mary was essentially whatever I brought to Mary” “that here the no was a non-event, and I desired a big no”

there is an edge of blasphemy. At what point does my telling become blasphemous? Is it the no? Is it the rape? What is the point of blasphemy? Who is the blasphemor? The artist? The audience who goes along with it? Mary’s voice?
Sometimes faith in faith itself can be blasphemous (Unitarians)

I talked about with the Susan Smith piece I didn’t want to exonerate her, but I wanted not the “why did she do it?” but the circumstances that lead women to bring their children to water’s edge.

What are some of the core ideas in the story?
Persuasion? Rejection? Impregnation?

What role do I play? What is my standpoint? Make it clear, or not.

What happens if the suggested gender of the angel Gabriel is female?