| First Experimental Performance In 1997 I completed a 16 by 8 foot painting which depicts a line of troops and dignitaries as they prepare to march out of the conquered and devastated city of Constantinople. Those who saw the piece called it a masterwork, but many expressed a hunger to know more--as the composed meanings and allegories don't yield themselves up easily. So I agreed that more could be made of it. In the summer of 1997 borrowed a cheap camera, rented some costumes and modified some rowboats and set about creating a film to explain this event. These props were basic, but concept was king. So I deployed those rowboats, took some chances at Fort Henry tower, did a lot of creative editing and it ended up looking alright on tape. In October 1997, I rented the Baby Grand theatre (Kingston) and I just let 'er rip The little video succeeded in helping a modern audience to identify with those medieval players who were so condemned by the historians. That performance began with a medieval maiden dancing to a troubador's song; followed by a showing of the film, on two tv sets; ending with a climactic moment which has the same maiden in skeletal makeup performing to oddly appropriate music. During this climax, the curtain rose on the painting and the hearty standing ovation that followed told me that the different media mixed nicely together and that this idea could be made into something bigger. I was invited to participate in First Night Kingston (Dec.31,1997) but there was a concern about the limitations of the VHS film, which cannot be projected for a larger audience. The film quality was just simply too poor, as this first effort was mainly a conceptual experiment for a small audience. I agreed with them, and said that I'd improve the whole package. |
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