Month: March 2013

The T.A.N.K: Part 1

Ben Middleton / / T.A.N.K, Uncategorized

One of the first ideas for the Tank group was to create a video recreating the conception of the tank. The video was to use the Yarborough room within the White Hart Hotel in Lincoln where historically we know the idea of the tank was first conceived. We did this because this could be a real starting point for our performance since we could use it as a mapping point and explore the creation of the tank from this very beginning. We also this was a strong point because ‘Relationships between the arts and everyday life became subject to radical scrutiny in the period of the historical avant-garde’ ((Goven Emma et al (2007) Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices, Routledge p. 18)) we thought this was important because ‘Place is a space in which important words have been spoken which have established identity, defined vocation and envisioned destiny.’ ((Brueggeman, Walter (1989) ‘The Land’, in Liburne G.(ed) A Sense of place: Christian Theology of the Land, Nashville: Abingdon Press)) the tank changed the face of warfare and the idea of war altogether and we believe that this notion of the changing of warfare needs to be highlighted.

We then moved onto looking at turning this video into more of a commercial, or an American-styled infomercial where the presenter tempts you into buying the product being sold, this being the tank, mixed in with soundscapes of tanks and collages of images from testing out the tanks to them on the battlefield. We thought this would be effective because it the audience could take it as if we were trying to ‘sell’ the idea of a tank to them today. Plus it plays with the idea that all the investors of the tank back in the early 20th Century were placing a huge bet on the effectiveness of the tanks, similar to the people who placed bets on the horses at the grandstand.

Another idea we looked at was building a small scale model tank within the grandstand whilst being dressed as engineers and other workers who would have been involved in building the tank. We talked about doing this because ‘The first tank was built in Lincoln by William Foster and Co.’ ((Fish, Elizabeth (2013) Tank Memorial Proposed for Lincoln Roundabout, online: http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2013/03/tank-memorial-moves-to-lincoln-roundabout/ (accessed 20 March 2013) ))Showing how Lincoln is essential to the conception of the tank and how it was vita to helping Britain win the war.  We also wanted to play with idea of building the tank as a scale model because the action to build a small scale model takes precise intricate movements which would be reciprocated in the idea that when originally building the tanks every choice had to be precise and carefully planned in order to make the tank work.

Since this idea of ours it has come to light that a group within Lincoln wish to create a memorial of the birth of the tank on the roundabout at the end of Tritton Road in Lincoln ‘The aim behind the idea… is to remind and educate people on Lincoln’s engineering history, and commemorate the effort made by civilians in the city during the war.’ (( Fisch, Elizabeth (2013) Tank Memorial Proposed for Lincoln Roundabout, online:  http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2013/03/tank-memorial-moves-to-lincoln-roundabout/ (accessed 20 March 2013) ))This idea highlights the fact that Lincoln and Lincolnshire in general was essential to the cause of winning the war.

On going: Come to the Factories!

Jamee-Lee Fleming / / Women of War

Unfortunately the challenge of making the war poster is not going to happen. I realised that I set myself too much of a task in a short period of time. However, without being negative about it, the women of war group and me have used the crockery in a different way. The Lincoln Grandstand Handicap races brought Lincoln and surrounding cities together as a community. In our group, we thought of things that related to a community and how we could portray this. With the idea of crockery, we wanted to make cups of tea and serve cakes and biscuits to our audience at the beginning of the performance as a welcoming to the site.

We did a trial and error of our idea and realised that it would not work in the area that we chose, so another way of showing community to the audience was in our individual performance in the factory. Our idea was that when the audience  show to sit down and watch it, Sophie would make cups of tea whilst the action on the sewing machines were happening and when they were ready to serve she would pass them on to the audience for them to drink. However, the community of the Grandstand today is no more. To reflect this in our performance, we want to take the cups of tea away and pour them down the drain in front of them. This is to show that the community over the years has gone down the drain. We think that this a great idea and hopefully that the audience will go away thinking and questioning themselves about why we did through it away and whether they see the link between the Grandstand and the community.

 

Restoring the Trio

Daniel Ridealgh / / A Restoration

The ‘Grandstand’ in Lincoln is the surviving part of the trio used by thousands every year to watch the Lincoln Handicap.  This stand is actually called The Tattershall’s stand, the Grandstand lied 45 feet to the west of this, and The Silver Ring stand further westward.  The audience would not know that two other stands used to be nearby,  so our group will be reconstructing the plans of these stands out of horse hair twine.  The idea for this reconstruction came from seeing how old photos and maps showed the size of the site when it was at it’s peak of operation.

 

 

grandstand

 

This photograph shows the trio in full effect.

By presenting to the audience the de-constructed stands using archaeological techniques, they are able to relate more effectively than they could with a photograph.  Mike Pearson states the use of archaeology ‘takes the remains of the past and makes something out of them in the present.  A contemporary creative work’ (( Pearson, Mike (2010) Site-Specific Performance, Palgrave Macmillan:Basingstoke.  p. 44)) .  The literal remains of the past still remain as there is fencing and turnstiles still in place today that would have been used 60 years ago.  As well as this foundations from the old stand can still be felt below the ground.  The hope is that the audience can picture where the old stands were built and how the environment around them still holds evidence of the buildings.

Below is a video link of our first attempts to re-map the central Grandstand, although some measurements were inaccurate, we were able to get an idea of size and any obstacles that obstruct the plans since deconstruction.

T.A.N.K Part 3 – The Model &The Motion

Callum Pepper / / T.A.N.K

When examining the model of the mark I tank, the main feature that people can relate to is the caterpillar tracks. Caterpillar tracks were first invented for agriculture use from ploughing the land instead of using of horses. The tracks themselves would plough the earth crushing the earth engraving there marks across the land. The tracks were put on the new war machine to help them cross the trenches built by the enemy during the war.

WWIMaletank

 When it came to replicating a model/ image of the tank, our groups idea was first to find an air fix model that we could use it during the performance, our research and feelings about that the first tank spread around while we were building it gluing the parts together by one following the blueprints that were inside the box. When it came to creating something in the space inside the weighing room at the Grandstand we tried to recreate what we had made during our afternoon session at the village hall, a tank built from chairs. When in the weighing room we decided to turn one chair on top of the other and when look at what we had created the chair legs looked like the Caterpillar tracks that ploughed across the ground. The movement of the tracks when first used were slow and would turf the ground up. Our tanks tracks when moving them along would hit the ground creating a rhythm with the sound creating the motion of a convey belt repeating the action over and over moving along the room from one side to another.

Now that we had the movement for our tank sorted, we  decided to apply some text to our actions. The first piece of text we practised with was the Tanks regiments meaning which we had found at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.

BROWN       from the Mud

        RED               through the Blood

                      GREEN         to the Green Fields Beyond

 Firstly we would have someone shout out the colour then the group would say what the meaning of that colour was then moving the chairs to their next position repeating the text and the movement until we reached the other side of the room. While doing this process it did make me think, could we have the audience on the inside of the tank and transport them from one side of the room to another shouting out or even whispering our text to them? While working on our movement and looking at the space in between our tracks I kept thinking could we make our audience part of the machine, the inside of the cabin, have them experience what it would have been like on the inside the Tank.

The noise of the engine rumbling behind them, the smell of cordite fumes lingering in the air and the feel the overwhelming heat from the engine. There would have been no escape from what the crew experienced being inside this Killing Machine.

Restoring the Grandstand Part III

Abigail Dawson / / A Restoration

Progressing on the idea of a tannoy, our group have decided to have the emotional narratives broadcasted outside on either side of the Grand Stand where the original tannoys would have been placed. This not only brings the voice exactly back to where it formerly resided but it also enables the spectators to hear the broadcast without difficulty as it will be transmitted when they are outside the site. The two main narratives that we would like to be played through the tannoy are: firstly about the gambling problems that would have occurred throughout the Grand Stand’s existence, those who lost all their money and those who were addicted to winning. The other is a first person narrative from the Grand Stand’s point of view in the past of what it may have seen during it’s time; such as how busy it may have been, the hustle and bustle of noises that are heard, the different horses which may have won or lost. This narrative carries on to the present time, how the site feels now, the quietness surrounding it and the loss of people which inhabit it. Our main aim of this device is hoping the spectators to question such things as “how did this place come to be as it is; and what will it shortly become?” ((Landscape and Environment Programme, Warplands, http://www.landscape.ac.uk/landscape/impactfellowship/peforminggeographieswarplands/warplands.aspx (March 2013) )) we would like them to reflect on the emotional accounts, understand what has happened to the site and what they believe the Grand Stand should become now they have relived it’s past life.

A journey of our restoration performance has been created for the audience to follow. Starting from the inside of the kitchen area it transports them through the weighing room, waiting room, outside the Grand Stand and finally to the right of it where the perimeter of the two destroyed stands will be re-built. The aim is to initially restore the crowd, entwine the past to the site and attempt to create a future for the Grand Stand. To help the audience to reflect on everything they see we intend to fill as much of the dead space in between everyone’s performance pieces with questions. Questioning what they see, what they think of the past and how it may relate to the present. Only by interacting with the site are the spectators able to each make a decision of its future. Through research it was found that some of the popular suggestions for its future included turning the space into a parcour area, a horse racing themed restaurant and a museum to celebrate Lincolnshire’s history.

Here are the drawings of the two stands we aim to recreate, with accurate measurements added:

photo

We are concerned with the topography of our site. The tannoy device will assist in imagining the past landscape, very much like Mike Pearson’s ‘Carrlands’ research project in 2008. It took place in three different locations in the valley of the river Ancholme in North Lincolnshire, over the course 0f 12 months. He used three audio works to output his research, each 60 minutes in duration. They included spoken text, music and sound effects, inspired by these locations. The audio accompanies a series of walks at these locations, reflecting on aspects of their history. In Pearson’s piece and much like ours at the Grand Stand “technology plays a significant and transformative meditating role in the response of art to the environment: performance as a medium that can precipitate and encourage public visitation” ((Pearson M. (2010) Site-Specific Performance, London: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 81)) so through the audio that the spectators can visualise its history. Following from this, Pearson created ‘Warplands’ which was more audio based work that built upon the same approaches he used in ‘Carrlands’. It is also situated in North Lincolnshire; an example of one of the landscapes that was used is Judith’s Bower, which is a turf maze (13 meters across) near the cliff edge at Alkborough. The spoken text in the audio-works are drawn from the work of early topographers, maps and photographs to “illuminate the historically and culturally diverse ways in which a particular landscape has been made, used, reused and interpreted” ((Pearson M. (2012) Warplands: Alkborough, Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 17:2, 87-95, p. 87)) with the aim of enhancing the public’s understanding of these places. We endeavour to achieve this aim also, to increase the public appreciation of our site. As within our piece “each movement seeks to evoke the particular character of the immediate and more distant landscape: at one’s feet and far off, in both space and time.” ((Pearson M. (2012) Warplands: Alkborough, Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 17:2, 87-95, p. 87)) We want to bring the past, present and future to the site; with the help of the tannoy the past and present can be brought to life and the public can reflect on this to create a future for the Grand Stand themselves.