THINK OF SOMEONE YOU KNOW

(Live improvisation session, 8 mins, MAY 2016)

 

“Imagination can make a magic leap from difference to likeness so that strange or foreign experience seems our own” (Smith, A. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1982)

 

Think of Someone You Know was a participant led performance facilitated by the artist, which was the result of my investigations into improvisation, empathic thinking and playing the sincere part. Ultimately I was interested in how an improvisation session could be used to: help individuals connect with others they know through their memories and imagination, relate to those in their physical environment and heighten their awareness of self.

 

Participants were asked to close their eyes and think of someone they know. The only restrictions I gave them in this thinking was an age bracket and gender, taken from the characters of Read Through. Participants were then asked to think about this person's upbringing, background, relationships and physical behaviour.

 

9” and Say Hi From Me had started this journey by asking its participants to imagine what another might be feeling in line with my directions and instructions. What I wanted to do with Think of Someone You know was add another layer of connectivity by asking the participants to now work fully with their own histories, memories and imaginations giving them the responsibility of creating the content for the work rather than trying to fit within mine. This in turn would allow the sincere connection that Goffman talked about and also produce the living memory, mentioned by Leigh.

 

Think of Someone You know is a performance in itself but would later make up part of
What Are Other People Like When They Are Themselves.