Author: Abigail Dawson

Kastner and Wallis’s typology of land art (1998) suggests involvement: “the artist in a one-to-one relationship with the land, using his or her body in forms of ritual practise” ((Pearson, Mike (2010) Site Specific Performance, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 33)).

Our performance developed a significant amount from this first stimulus. Originally we wanted to become a part of our architecture physically, playing around and finding shapes and spaces that our bodies could reproduce or fit into. Willi Dorner stated that to “see the space you also have to feel the space. Feel closer to the city. Closer to where you come from” ((Pinchbeck, Michael (2013) Site-Specific Performance Week Two: Practice [shown at Lincoln: The University of Lincoln. Main Admin Building] [viewed on 23/01/2013])). From this we were able to become a part of the landscape around us, be physically in touch with the architecture that has been built over the years. By being part of the architecture, thoroughly connecting with the space around us, it enabled us to gain a solid understanding of our site. We studied The Grandstand’s past and the many different experiences it has encountered through the years, its current present state and we ended in searching for hope in the site’s future. This would not have been possible if we did not connect with it, physically and most importantly emotionally. The relationship we had with our site was strong. From this we endeavoured to take our audience on a journey through past, present and future. We wanted to “recreate journeys and see how time has affected memory of the movements and memory of the space” ((Pinchbeck, Michael (2013) Site-Specific Performance Week Two: Practice [shown at Lincoln: The University of Lincoln. Main Admin Building] [viewed on 23/01/2013])). The aim was to have the audience experience the many different events that had taken place at The Grandstand, from World War One, the role of women during the war, the treatment of horses at the races and finally the dilapidation of The Grandstand itself. The journey the whole class created for the performance was successful overall. By the time spectators arrived at our restoration piece they had been given sufficient time to form their own opinion of The Grandstand. This made it easier for them to write down what they thought the site should become, through experiencing its past and present it enabled the audience to contemplate on the space’s strongest function. The responses we received from the spectators were excellent and nobody refused to participate. Each and every one wrote down their own suggestion, many quite similar to the 200 we had already collected and attached to our restored stands. An unexpected response we received was some spectators writing on ideas already attached, such as demolish, and they wrote answers such as ‘no’ or ‘don’t demolish’ next to the suggestion. Although unexpected, we were pleasantly surprised and delighted with how the audience were engaging with our performance. We were thankful for their participation and helping build the hope for the site’s future. We successfully managed to show that “a space is not empty but full of meaning” ((Goven, Emma, Helen Nicholson and Katie Nicholson (2007) Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices, London: Routledge, p. 121)), we believe we brought the meaning back to the site through our performance.

As a part of our post show performance we took the twine with all the suggestions attached into the centre of Lincoln town. We then laid the twine across the high street, allowing the public to attach any ideas they had. Many members of the public approached us, asking what it was we were doing. It was explained to them what we had done in our performance before hand, and that we were then bringing the future of The Grandstand back to the public. Some people added their own ideas and others just wanted to take a look at the suggestions already provided on the twine. It would be fantastic in years to come to think that The Grandstand may become something from one of our founded suggestions; we would have given the site a future. Our performance became “a restoration of the absent present” ((Pearson, Mike (2010) Site- Specific Performance: New York, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 46)). We leave this project with hope, hope that our site won’t always stand bare and vacant and hope that it won’t always be forgotten by the people of Lincolnshire.

Here is a video of a part of our post show performance:

One of the leading artists in contemporary performance is widely considered to be Lone Twin, a theatre production company which formed in 1997. In an interview with Christopher Hewitt for the 2004 Brussels kunstenFestivaldesArts, he said they liked to “create maps of social and spatial engagement, suggesting imaginative territories that audiences might physically inhabit and traverse” ((Bilateral, (2006), Lone Twin interviewed by Christopher Hewitt. [online] Available at: http://www.lucazoid.com/bilateral/lone-twin-interviewed-by-christopher-hewitt/, [Accessed 05 April 2013])). The idea of engaging with the space is something we are extremely involved with, and creating a map of the past, present and future inhabitants. Focusing on a project that has influenced some of our performance ideas is Lone Twin’s piece Totem that underwent in 1998. The duo endeavoured to carry a fallen telegraph pole through Colchester’s town centre along a straight line, passing through homes and shops. The initials of those who participated and helped the pair complete their journey were carved into the pole by the artists. It is the notion of collaboration and participation that we are substantially interest in.

In our performance at the Grandstand, we plan to have the spectators encounter all the other pieces at the site. They will hopefully absorb all the stories that are portrayed of the past, the various uses of the stand and landscape surrounding it. By the end we aim for the spectators to have their own grasp of what they then believe the future of the Grandstand. As stated in previous blog posts, they would then attach these ideas onto the twine that we provide, approximately 800 meters in length. Are intentions are for the audience to see the two stand that we have remapped, be removed from the site completely and with the aid of the audience transport the idea filled twine to Lincoln’s high street. We hope to define our location through drawing the audience in and engaging them with the task of taking the future of the Grandstand back to the city, back to the people of Lincoln. We know however that participation should not be mandatory and force it upon our audience, but rather we should invite them to partake if they wish. In a conversation with Lone Twin it states that there should be “no obligation to participate in an active sense; the invitation can always be refused” ((Lavery, C. and Williams, D. (2001) Practicing Participation A conversation with Lone Twin, Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 16 (4), p. 8)).  Spectators will not engage with the site properly is they are coerced into an activity, instead in Lone Twin’s performances for example they are “permitted to engage in a relation of non-relation, to stand on the sidelines and make their ‘poem’ from the ‘poem’ that Lone Twin have offered them” ((Lavery, C. and Williams, D. (2001) Practicing Participation A conversation with Lone Twin, Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 16 (4), p. 8)). Are audience are able to develop their own ideas of the Grandstand from experiencing the pieces however they do not necessarily have to share them, the main aim is to just bring back the awareness of our site to what has been forgotten.

By taking the Grandstand’s future to the high street we hope to bring back some of the excitement back and a sense of community that existed at the site during the seasonal races in the past. Not only can the audience see the suggestions on the twine but so can other members of the public; it opens it up to for everyone to see how significant it was for Lincoln in the past, bringing a sense of remembrance and a small piece hope for the Grandstand’s future.

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:

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.

Following on from my last discussion of attempting to restore the Grand Stand, our group have been focused on giving the site back its lost voice. 240 years of activity now lies silent and we want to bring it back to life. After spending a few hours inside the site – going from the waiting room, to the weighing room and to the kitchen – we were able to take in its present existence and what it felt like in the current bare space. We discussed where in this space we could inhabit, where we could create “a restoration of the absent present” ((Pearson M. (2010) Site-Specific Performance, London: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 46)), what should still be alive. While those interested in Woman of War took the waiting room, we decided that we’d be the ones to guide the audience throughout their journey of the Grand Stand, through the use of a sound system. They will break up each of the groups live and/ or installation pieces and will then prompt the audience to move to the next section of the performance.

At the Lincolnshire Archives a copy of what appears to be a tannoy broadcast was found. From this we were able to take parts of the text to be recorded and announced through our speakers. For example, ‘Welcome ladies and gentleman to the second seasonal race for the Lincoln Handicap, day 3’.  We want it to be spoken in the same style of voice a race broadcaster would speak, quite fast, this gives the impression that we are at a day at the races. Here there is a potential have audience participation; there is around 15 different horses in a race, perhaps each person is given a horse name on a sticky label that they must wear. If each group’s pieces only want a few members of the audience to witness it at a time then if a few spectators have the same horse’s name it may be instructed over the speaker that it is their turn to move. An idea which can possibly be developed to help with the journey of the performance. However not only do we want the speaker to act as an instructional device to help move spectators on, we want it to convey emotions. Perhaps of how the jockey’s felt being weighed in the weighing room and the anticipation of waiting to go out and race in the waiting room. Research needs to be undertaken of past jockey interviews in newspapers and online to find authentic quotes and thoughts from these people. We also want to broadcast the issue of betting at the race course and the gambling problems that may be connected. By using emotional monologues the audience are able to imagine the people that stepped onto the Grand Stand and how they personally felt.

We want the space to appear as if it’s lived in, revive life back to the lifeless. Several of Jerzy Grotowski’s productions “created a sense of a living environment through utilising a mode of witnessing” ((Govan E. et al. (2007) Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices, Routledge: London and New York, p. 114)), so it is important we build a relationship between actor and spectator so they are engrossed in the ‘living environment’. The construction of this lived in space is also utilised by the British performance company Reckless Sleepers. In 2003 they created a performance called the Last Supper which was concerned with literally eating your words. Part of their research process was reading biographies and the requests for last meals from the prisoners on death row. From this the audience were invited to dine with them while the performers spoke the last words of the famous, not so famous, criminals and victims etc. Some of the audience members would receive a silver platter that would contain one of the last suppers. Lyn Gardner observes that the show “gives voice to the voiceless” ((Gardner L. (2004) ‘The Last Supper’, Guardian, 19 November)) as these last words are documented from those who are now dead. The past now inhabits the present space by re-enacting the last words, an effect we want to create with the past thoughts from those who stepped inside and outside the Grand Stand. Yi-Fu Tuan states that “the building or architectural complex now stands as an environment capable of affecting the people who live in it” ((Tuan Y. (1977) Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience, London: Edward Arnold, p. 102)), which will hopefully be the spectators who get involved with our piece.  We want them to hopefully re-live the past, not necessarily be moved by it, but by gaining the knowledge of the past they have a greater understanding of what the site used to be. Also they may be affected by how bare the Grand Stand is at present day and how much it has lost.

After many trips to the Grand Stand, exploring inside and on the land around it, it became clear what me, Charlie Restall and Daniel Ridealgh wanted to research about the site. There is a slight difference in the old and the new architecture of the building, mainly the colour of the bricks. But we noticed that objects had been taken away from the architecture, such as the tannoys that were used deliver the horse racing news and notices to the public who used to go to the Grand Stand. We were able to find the remaining hooks that the tannoy wires would have been supported by on the bricks. The main idea that came about from the removal of the tannoys was the loss of voice from the site. It could no longer speak, forever muted; it gave the building a sense of isolation, the voice trapped inside. This became a starting point for our performance; it was up to us to restore those tannoys. A simple sound system which would give the Grand Stand an ability to speak, perhaps reply the announcements of the past races.

While researching Lincolnshire and the Grand Stand during the 19^th and 20^th centuries at the Lincolnshire Archives, we came across two other stands that used to be a part of the site but unfortunately got demolished, the date we are unsure of. The significance of this research was that what we’ve always known as the Grand Stand is actually the Tattersall’s Stand and because it was the only surviving building it got renamed the Grand Stand. The memories from the demolished buildings no longer exist, they got destroyed. Mike Pearson states that “landscape becomes embedded with memory” ((Pearson M. (2010) Site-Specific Performance, London: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 95)) and we plan to bring back the memories, which were created by the public during the races, to the landscape surrounding the site.  This will be done by attempting to re-produce the original Grand Stand and the Silver Ring Stand.  Through research the measurements of these buildings have been found, so our recreation will be exactly to scale, we hope. Not only will this bring back the lost memories, it will also create new ones with the audience we bring into our performance that have never stepped foot on our site before.  From this it may be seen that “performance can play a role in the public engagement with landscape’ ((Pearson M. (2011) Why Performance?)), our audience will be able to engage with the ‘restored’ stands once again by learning what was lost from the landscape and imagining it’s past appearance.

The British company, Station Opera House, are known for building structures of an architectural scale. They use thousands of concrete blocks to create a breezeblock structure. One out of many of their famous pieces is The Bastille Dances (1989) where they used 8000 of these concrete blocks in the construction. It was assembled and dismantled over the course of nine days by the company and was initially created to represent the French Revolution. It started off as an image of the demolition of the Bastille in Paris with the concrete blocks dispersing, representing it’s destruction through the city. This company’s ideas are fairly similar to what we want to do. Re-creating the other stands on a grand scale and then tear it all down to show the destruction and loss of these buildings, what it has done to the landscape as a consequence – it no longer looks like the Grandstand, just an old building left deteriorate. Yi-Fu Tuan argues in his book Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience that “architecture can educate people’s awareness and concept of reality” ((Tuan Y. (1997) Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience, London: Edward Arnold, p. 117)) , we aim teach and inform our audience of the site’s history so they are no longer ignorant of how the past and present society that we currently live in has let the Grandstand decay into nothing. The easiest way to do this is to give it back its voice and bring the buildings to life once again, by bringing Lincoln’s history to present day it is will also help the other groups performances who aim to go further back in history before the Grandstand itself existed.

Here is a video of our group’s first attempt at re-creating the original Grand Stand: