Part of our investigatory work around developing our performance involved us returning to Speaker’s Corner and experimenting in the space. We did things such as eves-drop in the square and inside the shops, walk around the square picking out small details, and talk to each other from across the space; afterwards we sat on a bench and brainstormed ideas. We agreed that we still wanted to use the idea of transactions, given that the space we are in is so focused on money and exchange, yet we also agreed that rather than pinpointing our performance with the specific event of the Suffragette rally that happened there, we would look at how that event inspired the creation of Speaker’s Corner, and the intended purpose of it today.
Still taking elements of our inspiration from the Suffragettes, we decided that placards would remain a large part of our piece, but rather than intending them to emulate the Suffragette protests, we looked at the wider, more contemporary meaning. Placards have become the recognised symbol for protest as they say the message louder than the voice ever could, contrasting with the identities of the protests and women who once occupied that space, which are now silent. This kind of ‘loud silence’ was very appealing to us and informed our creative decision to involve the audience in the performance.
Our idea is to invite the audience to write their answer to a question on a small piece of paper, the question being:
“What power do you feel as a person in the world today?”
We will then give them the option to transfer these (anonymous) quotes to a placard which will be placed around the square, or to post it through the letterbox of an empty shop unit – the anonymous space. Every person who answers our question will be given a free piece of food, perhaps cake, which will make them feel rewarded for helping other people, and feel good for expressing themselves where they otherwise wouldn’t. Throughout the afternoon as these answers are being collated, the piece becomes a live installation of thought, with the audience acting as artist and performer, whilst we remain silent, letting them create the piece. To visually demonstrate our silence, our aim is to wear pieces of material/tape covering our mouths; this symbolises that it is not our voices we are demonstrating in the piece, but the voices of the public, allowing them to use the space for its true purpose, exercising FREEDOM OF SPEECH (something not a lot of people know).
The purpose of this is to show the public that they have freedom of speech and whats more, a place designed to demonstrate it in. Through our performance we aim to allow people to use the space for its purpose, allowing them to turn their opinions into a voice where otherwise they’d remain silent – they do have power, so use it.
We researched the work of Suzanne Lacy, a feminist performance artist who’s work mainly revolves around women’s rights – in particular, destroying rape culture. Lacy’s Auto on the Edge of Time (1993-1994) was:
“A series of installations and projects that explored the effects of domestic violence as experienced by women, children and families throughout the United States. The centerpiece [sic] of the project was a collection of wrecked cars transformed by Lacy and her collaborators into sculptural testimonials on themes of escape, abuse, control, support, healing, memorializing and more.”
(Lacy, 2015)
Lacy’s use of testimonials added an element of catharsis to her work, giving an emotional outlet and escape to victims, whilst also displaying a powerful message to others. This is similar to the aim of our work; to provide opportunities for people to let their opinions be heard and to inspire them, and others, to do this more in the future.
Works Cited:
Lacy, S. (2015) Suzanne Lacy. [online] Available from: http://www.suzannelacy.com/early-works/#/auto-on-the-edge-of-time/ [Accessed 4 March 2016].