February 1, 2012
by Kate Dawson
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This blog is designed to inform the reader of the research, development and performance processes of our Site Specific Performance. It will be based in a location of our own choosing, which is not a typical performance space, within Lincoln’s borders. However, the performance we create must be directly related to its location.
Word Count: 53
May 6, 2012
by Kate Dawson
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Before the performance, I was very apprehensive about my ability to complete the task, after I found our last practice extremely difficult. I was not sure if my body could take the strain, after being ill for the last two weeks.
However, the team were incredibly energized at the beginning and were looking forward to getting started. We decided to go three at a time, while one person sat out and then every 5 laps one person would swap. We also made sure to take each person’s blood pressure every 25 minutes.
The first few laps were difficult but once our bodies got used to the strain it became easier. We also managed to involve numerous members of the public who did some laps for us, which we were grateful for because, without them, we would not have reached our target.
While this was taking place, we kept a tally of everyone’s laps and then I calculated how many we had done each hour and made an announcement on the hour. This was another way we could encourage the public to join in with our challenge.
This was what our final tally looked like:
Tally Chart
Once we had completed our challenge, I calculated our total laps, distance, steps etc… and these were our results:
Times travelled up the hill
Us: 71 times each
Individual total = 71 times = 7097.16 metres (4.4 miles)
Total times travelled (minus public) = 284 times
Total distance travelled (minus public) = 28,388.64 metres (17.6 miles)
Public: 99 times
Total times travelled (inc. public) = 383 times
Total distance travelled (inc. public) = 38,248.68 metres (23.8 miles)
Laps completed after each hour:
1 hour: 91 times
2 hours: 232 times
3 hours: 318 times
4 Hours: 383 times
This shows just how much we slowed down over the 4 hours as our bodies started to become exhausted.
Steps (calculated using a pedometer, which Jessica wore)
Steps individual = 13,786 steps
Steps everyone (minus public) = 55,144 steps
One lap (up and down Steep Hill once) = 194 steps approximately
so…
Steps everyone (inc. public) = 74,302 steps
Average speed = 2.5 km/ph (started off at 4.5 km/ph)
Time = 240:04 minutes
We reached our target of 331 laps up and down Steep Hill (33,019 metres) at approximately 2.15pm
Strangely enough, this was almost the exact same time that I hit a wall and found myself so physically and mentally drained that the thought of climbing back up the hill seemed almost impossible.
These were the blood pressure and heart rate results, which Rebecca kept track of.
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|
Kate |
Rebecca |
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Approximate Time +/- 5 |
Blood Pressure |
Heart Rate |
Blood Pressure |
Heart Rate |
| Start | 128/68 | 82 | 117/82 | 102 |
| 24.46 | 157/90 | 121 | 174/91 | 97 |
| 51.06 | 137/126 | 131 | 125/144 | 99 |
| 76 | 167/97 | 131 | 181/77 | 104 |
| 96 | 183/85 | 124 | 143/96 | 108 |
| 124.45 | 156/81 | 113 | 124/89 | 99 |
| 148.5 | 143/94 | 134 | 150/108 | 112 |
| 175 | 144/90 | 127 | 175/109 | 126 |
| 198.45 | 148/79 | 117 | (r)116/93 | 98 |
| 224.10 | 129/76 | 110 | 125/82 | 92 |
|
Paige |
Jessica |
||
|
Blood Pressure |
Heart Rate |
Blood Pressure |
Heart Rate |
| 159/90 | 102 | 99/80 | 95 |
| 146/84 | 121 | (r)122/20 | 123 |
| (r)151/92 | 132 | 143/80 | 146 |
| 100/96 | 127 | (r)109/73 | 112 |
| 166/152 | 105 | 103/81 | 124 |
| 143/81 | 123 | (r)113/72 | 104 |
| 141/90 | 103 | 112/68 | 117 |
| 142/87 | 122 | 118/73 | 116 |
| 160/115 | 115 | 117/72 | 119 |
| 156/76 | 134 | 107/56 | 108 |
The boxes with an (r) means that person, at the time, was in the middle of their rest period when their blood pressure was taken
Looking at the table above, generally the blood pressure rises from our resting rate at the start, so it is clear that Steep Hill was putting a strain on our bodies.
Heart Rate Graph
This graph shows just how much our heart rate fluctuated during the 4 hour performance; clearly the challenge was having a direct effect on our bodies. The initial reaction, in the first 25 minutes, with the exception of Rebecca, was that our heart rates went up quite dramatically and, as our bodies got used to the strain over time, our heart rate slowed.
I was surprised at how mentally draining the performance was. Trying to keep yourself going while completing a very monotonous and strenuous task was difficult. We were all surprised at how mentally tiring the performance was and all agreed at the end that it took more willpower than we were expecting, to keep walking.
As a whole, I am thrilled with our performance. I think we put a lot of time and effort into developing our ideas and to have completed such a difficult challenge is a great feeling. We have completed a challenge, which no one has ever done before. We were surprisingly energized afterwards because the adrenaline was pumping.
I think we remained fairly focused throughout the whole process and maintained order when keeping the tally and taking blood pressure readings. Perhaps we could have been more regimented with this, however, the only way we could physically keep ourselves going at times was to try and make it as fun as possible and that enjoyment was distracting when trying to remain organised.
We also could have improved the blood pressure taking process. We did not factor in the time it would take to measure 4 people’s blood pressure every 25 minutes. That process may have lost us up to 1 hour so that made a huge difference to our end total. We set ourselves an individual task of completing 83 laps each, which would have added up to the grand total of 331 laps had we not had any input from the public. Unfortunately, we did not reach our individual total, which I found slightly disappointing.
This process has changed my ideas as to what is a performance. At the start, I thought a site specific performance would simply be acting in a particular place whereas our performance did not include any acting, all our reactions were natural. However, we performed a feat of endurance, which is something completely different but was still site specific. This module has made me look at performance in a completely different way and has broadened my understanding of what it is to be a performer.
When I was still smiling...
Taking blood pressure readings
Climbing using the rope
Getting tired now
Getting the public to join in
And finished!
Warm-down
Word Count: 902
April 28, 2012
by Kate Dawson
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We have sourced all our props and costumes including a blood pressure monitor for Rebecca, the doctor and some climbing equipment for Paige, the climber.
We were unable to get hold of was a boom-box to play the music for our warm-up. Instead, we have decided to perform the warm-up at Jessica’s flat and then walk to Steep Hill for our 11am start.
We have also discussed costume changes for our performance. The initial idea was to use elaborate costumes to draw attention to ourselves, however, after our recent practice runs we have realised that complex costumes will be too impractical and will hinder our progress. Instead we will use simple but effective elements of costume to highlight our individual roles, such as a helmet for the climber and sweat bands for the fitness instructor.
The final part of our preparation process was to create two A3 posters to put up at the top and bottom of Steep Hill, to inform passersby of our challenge. This is what we created:
Poster
Word Count: 170
April 23, 2012
by Kate Dawson
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Our group needs to undertake plenty of physical training in order to prepare for our challenge. Therefore, to build up our fitness levels we chose to undertake aerobics training. I took note of the exact moves we made while Jessica choreographed a short routine, so we could use it as a warm-up to do before our performance started at Steep Hill. This could also be used to attract an audience.
On Monday, Paige and Jessica spent an hour on Steep Hill practicing what it would be like on the day. I watched from the top of the hill as I was too unwell to take part. They travelled up and down Steep Hill exactly 33 times each and, seen as our target was to do 20 an hour, we are sure we will be able to complete our task within the designated time of 4 hours.
We only did 1 hours practice because we did not want to spend too long preparing, as Pearson explains: ‘ it is the tension between this readiness and lack of preparation at the interface of site and performance that generates substance and meaning’ (2010, p.171). For us, this meant not being over prepared for our performance because we want to show the natural struggle of getting up Steep Hill and the effects it has on us mentally, as well as physically, so we want this to be a surprise to us, to make the performance more meaningful.
Training
Training
Word Count: 243
April 14, 2012
by Kate Dawson
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| Name | Kate Dawson, Paige Cawkwell, Jessica Smith, Rebecca Walker. |
| Kate: katelyn_1207@hotmail.com
Paige: paigepinkie@yahoo.co.uk Jessica: jess_smith1991@yahoo.co.uk Rebecca: rebecca.a.walker@hotmail.co.uk |
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| Contact Phone No. | Kate: 07963130214
Paige: 07516418371 Jessica: 07526869637 Rebecca: 07791781778 |
| Title of your Project | Steep! |
| Please describe your proposed work in no more than 50 words | |
| Our group performance has been developed around Steep Hill, focusing on the effect that climbing Steep Hill, numerous times, has on your body. We will each take on different roles including a doctor, mathematician, and fitness instructor during the performance. Our aim is, between us, to travel the equivalent of the circumference of Lincoln’s border; 20.5 miles. | |
| Tell us what you plan to do and provide a sketch of the ideas behind the work (250 words) | |
| As a group, we decided that our performance will be both time and task based. The piece will last for four hours, with a 10-15 minute warm-up/warm-down at the beginning and end. This will, hopefully give us long enough to show the physical struggle of getting up the hill and to travel our chosen distance.
Our task will be to attempt to travel an equivalent distance to the circumference of Lincoln, 20.5 miles, by climbing up and down Steep Hill, whilst observing the effects on our bodies such as blood pressure and heart rate. We chose to use the circumference of Lincoln as our aim because, as well as being relevant to Steep Hill itself, we believe that, between the four of us, it is an achievable distance to cover. We will each take on different roles including a doctor, who will measure everyone’s blood pressure/heart rate every 15-20 minutes, a mathematician, who will record the distance travelled, a climbing instructor, in charge of safety and climbing advice, and a fitness instructor, in charge of motivation and fitness tips including warm-ups and warm-downs. Therefore, each person will have their own individual task to complete, as well as the group task of climbing the hill. This will not only give us all a separate achievement but will also assist our group task. We hope to change not only our own opinions of Steep Hill, but also those of the general public. Our performance will be in a live format, rather than filmed, because the performance’s objective is to highlight the hill’s struggle in a way, which will hopefully interact with the audience. Something that, we believe, can only be captured and experienced as a live audience member. |
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| Tell us about your target audience, and how your work will interact with them (150 words) | |
| Our target audience is both the local community, i.e. those who have both lived with and experienced the hill for many years, and also visitors to Lincoln, who have, perhaps, just dealt with the struggle of the hill for the first time. This is because these people will have different outlooks on the hill’s steep gradient and will, hopefully, be most interested in our performance.
Our work will directly interact with the audience as, for the locals, the hill is part of their everyday life and to see it being used as a performance space will automatically draw them in. As for visitors to Lincoln, not only will Steep Hill act as a tourist attraction, because of its character and history, it will also be seen as an interesting and unusual site for performance.This task based performance will directly interact with the audience because, as performers, we will be moving around and performing alongside any members of the public who have chosen to venture up Steep Hill. |
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| When and where do you propose to present your work (location, date and time) | |
| Our performance will be a live piece performed on Wednesday 2nd May, starting at 11am. It will last for four hours, taking place on Steep Hill. | |
| Provide a project timetable detailing key targets and actions between now and the presentation of your work. Include Permissions, Materials, Health and Safety checks where applicable (250 words) | |
The tasks that now need to be completed are:
We will not need to gain permission to perform our piece because Steep Hill is a public thoroughfare. The main health & safety checks we need to make will be surrounding the tasks we undertake, including making sure these tasks are safe to complete on such a steep incline. We also need to ensure these tasks present no danger to us and members of the public, especially if we have any adverse weather conditions. These risks will all be carefully evaluated in our Risk Assessment. |
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| List the equipment and materials you will need to deliver your project (and how you will source them). | |
We will aim to source equipment/materials from friends, relatives or from our own possession, to decrease cost, however, if this is not possible, we will buy any other materials from the appropriate stores. |
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| Give details of your project budget (though be aware that there is no Module budget so any expenses will, unfortunately, have to be borne by you alone). | |
| The cost of any material we do not have in our own possession and cannot acquire from friends/relatives. | |
| Audience suitability: is there anything in your work we may need to make audiences aware of (e.g. Swearing, nudity, flashing lights etc)? | |
| Our performance is suitable for all audience members and does not include any inappropriate material. | |
| Include a brief artist’s statement that describes you and your work (100 words). | |
| We are a group of four drama students creating a Site Specific Performance on Steep Hill. We aim to show the mental and physical struggle of travelling up and down the hill. We will do this through walking up and down at different speeds, repetitively to really put across the struggle and strain that the hill puts you under and aim to cover the same distance as the circumference of Lincoln. The idea is to document our struggle medically, by testing blood pressure and heart rates and mathematically by calculating speed, time and amount of times travelled up and down the hill. | |
| Provide any images, plans, maps or other materials that support your proposal. | |
Our performance will take place on the steepest part of Steep Hill, a section that, according to Google map, is 164 feet (50metres) long and has a gradient of 1 in 6 (see highlighted section on map)    
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Word Count (minus headings): 954
April 11, 2012
by Kate Dawson
0 comments
The Oxford English Dictionary definition of steep is: ‘rising or falling sharply; almost perpendicular. Origin: Old English : stēap “extending to a great height” of West Germanic origin; related to STEEPLE & STOOP’ (Oxford Dictionaries, 2012).
This relates to our performance, because Steep Hill is of an angle, which rises and falls sharply. It is also the highest point in Lincoln, so does ‘extend to a great height’ and the term relates to the word steeple, which is at the top of Steep Hill, in the form of the Cathedral.
We looked back at the TaskForce video and saw how those performers were integrated into their site and we wondered, if we simply try to climb Steep Hill as many times as we can in 4 hours, will we become the site because of the effect it will have on us?After all, ‘the engagement of the performer at site is in essence ergonomic – body-to-environment’ (Pearson, 2010, p.171).
We set ourselves the target of climbing an equal distance to the circumference of Lincoln, 33,016 metres (20.5 miles). This means we will have to climb up and down Steep Hill exactly 330 times (83 times each) in order to reach our goal. This idea was inspired by Lone Twin whose performance of On Everest also involved a similar task, just on a larger scale.
| Area | 3,569 hectares |
| Size in X (East/West) | 8,551 metres |
| Size in Y (North/South) | 7,613 metres |
| Circumference | 33,016 metres |
All figures are to the nearest hectare/metre.
Word Count: 223