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zix42: Samplers: Art x Science
[Sampler: Art X Science]
So, again this brings us back to the whole idea that somehow the
sciences are superior to the arts - as some sort of intellectual
endeavour - must everything get back to measuring penuses?
So, an obvious response would be war.
And then that comes packaged as
"If it's war they want, then it's war they'll get."
Or in Bugs Bunny fash: "Of course, you realise this means war."
START AGAIN
Bring up (sordid/ominious music - but actually i'm listening
to hot meat right now....)
Oh no: not the penuuses uh-geUnh!!!!
START AGAIN
One sentence that sticks out (not un-like a hot red....)
START AGAIN
The one thng that really ticks me off (get it: It sounds like DICKS ME OFF!!!!
START AGAIN
(we appologise for that, we've sacked the people responsible
and have hired an entirely new group to produce the response)
START AGAIN
START THIS PART COULD BE A PRE-PARED VID
...(slow fade from black into a very pale blue
a curtain materialises in front of the audience
which it can now be seen that in fact we are in
an auditorium
At the front as the pale blue curtain goes up
the orchestra is waiting.
The first violin comes in from STAGE LEFT and
stops before his chair and then waits about 3/4's
of a second and then bows to the audience which
then applauds.
Next the conductor (let's say for the sake of
argument that it's Zeubin Mehta) he comes on
stage - again STAGE LEFT, bows, the audience
applauds and turns towards STAGE LEFT.
THe guest pianist (let's just say for sake of
time that it's Christina Ortiz) she comes on
stage from STAGE LEFT, approaches the piano,
walks beside it and reaches up to Zeubin and
shakes his hand, they both turn to the
audience - having switched the hands of the
other person that they are holding (that is
Zeubin is on her right and hold her right
hand in his left hand), thusly, they face the
audience and bow, the audience applauds, and
Christina walks towards the piano, sits and
after a brief "tune-up" they begin to play
The Second Piano Concerto of Dimitrii Shostakovitch.
...)....
and then of course a large paper-machey penis is paraded thru the front
of the stage from LEFT TO RIGHT.
START AGAIN
...(fade to the "commentator's box")....
CHRIS ALLEN: Well, it seems to be a very interesting response.
Just the sort of thing that you'd expect.
SEBE CLOVIS: Well, if you mean by that that we should have
been expecting some sort of retaliation. I don't
agree. I think that we had to expect something
after all as they say in Vampire Business
"Old ain't dead."
CHRIS: So you see it as some sort "pissing match" between
a couple of old guys?
SEBE: Not necessarily. I mean with the out-of-the-blue
third part, i think that we had to expect something.
And yet, you still have to wonder if this isn't some
sort of "blow off" gesture to the whole thing.
CHRIS: I'm not sure how to take that. I mean surely you don't
think....
SEBE: First don't call me Shirley. No, i mean you have to
wonder what was going on in the first place. So,
lets go now to Glorb and company for a deconstruction
of it. Ok?
CHRIS: Sure, why no, Shoily ;)
SEBE: Why me? Ok.. are we ready?
END THIS PART COULD BE A PRE-PARED VID
===================================================================
....(cut to; Gleeba and Glorb on stage in front of
a pale blue back drop / drop-cloth
matching the one used as a scrim in
front of the orchestra. later props
will be brought in behind them; ie,
a chalk board (see below), book case to
the side, computer terminal to the other
side, a writing desk, etc)...
Glorb: Gleeba you ignorant slut!
Geeba: Sheesh, they won't get it. Don't you realis that
everything has to be in terms of Square Bomb Slerm
Pantzer somthing?
Glorb: Anyway, enough pastiche. Let's begin by looking at
the cross product of everything in PART 2 - taken
line-by-line and then apply that as either a measure
or a demarkur as we then parse PART 1.
Well first, let's look at this segment:
(while Glorb is finishing the above, stage hands have wheeled
a chalk board / projection screen / flip chart / etc
onto stage with the folliwng on it:
001: Part of the problem is the concepts of continuity and coherence that
002: are generally associated with the musical form. Traditional music
003: (eg, read Bach/Jazz here) has the concept of a stated theme, then
004: variations on it, and then a return and re-statement of the theme
00:5 and with a *flourish* an exit of the piece. An important example
00:6 is one of the bridging pieces of early 1900c French classical/jazzist
00:7 composers. Note especially the "study piece" by Darius Milhaud (pronunskaiated"
009: Dahr-ee Mee-you) called "The Bull of the Roof" (l'beuf sur la tois ?sp?).
010: Which takes us thru all of the "keys" of the work, and then returns to
011: the original theme. Similarly the oragan work by Charles Ives,
012: "Variations on America" - which was banned by the Foreign Legion:
013: Don't mess with the classics.
|
Gleeba: I'd just like to start by saying - as a very dedicated
applogist for Frank, that most of his stuff *does*
make sense if you look at it long enough.
Glorb: Well, or not. A lot of the time, he seems to be just
playing with the "audience" - if you can call them
that.
Gleeba: Yes, but the plays are usually accompanied by smileys
such as the wink [holds up placard with ;) on it]
and such.
Glorb: Yes, but first off what about the idea that he takes
his audience for granted?
Gleeba: Surely, you don't say that he's taking his audience
as given and dolting do you?
Glorb: No. I mean that's brought in PART 3 when gORAN says
(looks down at paper/script and reads)
Well, maybe FL should be more considerate
when he is accessing people's email accounts
with his e-mails, and maybe FL you might ask
about permission from people to be engaged
in this, hopefully soon, to be a blog.
**** BEGIN ACTORS BLOCKING ONE *****
...(Gleeba will interrupt here)...
That blog could be further developed and
divided into one of a more free style
discussion, and also to have another
areas of more strict lines of discourse.
..(the entire above last part may not be completed)...
Gleeba: (starts interrupting above)
Yes (prob almost like distracted-to-the-side-voice)
(NOTE: i could see this as almost a fight about what should be
almost a given as to the first part of PART 1 - but
that Glorb and Gleeba "really get into it"
***** END ACTORS BLOCKING ONE ****
(enters Ell, to the side s/h/he is dressed in a suit
prob with a neck tie, etc - as if to be on TV style, etc)
Ell: PLEASE! Look at yourselves!!! It's just TEXT!!!
(they appear sheepish)
Ell: Anyway if we look at the first 13 lines of PART 1,
i think its at least a genuine disucssion given in
good faith as to what the aesthetics of music ARE.
Right?
Gleeba: Don't look at me. I *like* the work.
Glorb (under breath) no doubt; it suits your style.
Ell: UHMM!!
Glorb: (turning, only slightly acknowledging her/him/nem)
Ok. Yes, the first few lines ARE co-herent. They discuss
continuity and co-herence. Two of the things that are
ALMOST ALWAYS LACKING!
(the piano work here in the b/g should be "sarching for somethang"
either almost moody or introspective) Movemtn I: Lento about 4:20 - 7:44 into)
...(Ell exits)...
Gleeba: Well of course. you remember that scathing critque he got
from his "menu portfolio".
Glorb: (almost over) - Not again with the k-sky critique!!!
Gleeba: THAT HE got from his M-E-N Y-O-U (slowly/forcefully)
CRIH-TEE-KK! (hard 'k')
I think that that's signifcant that he's at least
acknowldeging his short comings here.
Glorb: Acknowledging - yes. Ok. At least he's acknowleding it.
But, then what's all of that gibberish about
(almost sickly sweet)
with musical form. Tradional music
(eg, read Bach/Jazz here) has the concept of
stated theme, then variations on it...
Why does he throw in junk like bach and jazz - is that supposed
to show how diverse his interests are? Do we really need to
see his ego again!!!!
Gleeba: Well first off: A lot of Jazz musicians say that more than
any other classical composer, they admire Bach.
Glorb: More BS ...(spells it, does NOT use "bull shit"; char note)....
from der capel meister ..(kah-pehll m EYEz tuhr; v. german,
again dripping with sarcasm/sweetness)..
And then all of this obscure rubbish about Darius Milhaud
and giving these absurd words like "pronunskiated" -- what's
THAT all about???
Gleeba: (slaps front of her own face, drags fingers down slowly
front of her face) (slightly garbled) why me? it's just
part of his schticK about spelling.
And the fact that he mentons Dariu's (pronounced: dar-ee)
work and it's a specific reference is obviously meant to
anchor it so that he can refer to it later. I think that
he's not taking his audience for granted or trying to
insult them - he's just mentioning an example of what he's
talking about.
Glorb: And of course then his swipe at the American legion ISN'T
part of his liberal agenda, i suppose!!
Gleeba: No, it's not. Charles Ives was an American insurance salesman
who used his spare money to have his music performed. His
"variations on America" - for WHAT EVER ELSE it is, is an
an american work - sort of a "melting pot" work that uses
various themes - yes, one of them sounds very Russian! - to
bring together various ways that tonality, rhythm and such
are used. There's NO hidden agenda. It's just a comment.
Some people - apparently at the American Legion got upset
and either did or tried to - BAN it. That' it.
Glorb: Yeah. He just chose it at random.
Gleeba: (soto, slightly) i wish he'd chosen Beethovan's variations...
Glorb: What? What was that?
Gleeba: Nothing.
Glorb: Fine, be that way, what about the ...(searches papers)...
let me find it ... yes, here, when he's saying:
An infinity of time passed as inifnity
does (as it does at about 3 minutes
into Satie's "Ballet Realiste").
Finally (as it turned out, i had
liver cancer...
Gleeba: NO! Not at all. He had gotten a test for
LIVER CANCER - you know he drinks a lot.
And the TECHNICIAN couldn't read the
results. Which is why he was afraid. And..
Glorb: YES. FINE. But what's all this about
Very well, then we shall have a new opera.
And Herr Mozart shall write it. And it shall
be in German; there 'tis, then.
Odd, how performance just "happens".
Clearly that's some RUBBISH - he even admits it!!
Gleeba: Yes. Yes. It's rubbish (sighs heavily) - i give up!
He was talking about the film AMADEUS - he drank
a lot too. He partied a lot TOO. Frank was woried
about not only his liver but MAINLY AIDS -- AIDS YOU IDIOT!!!!
Glorb: Fine. Be that way. I get it. Of course, i get it.
My point is that he wasn't BEING (searches papers)
(while searching) coherent...concise... uhhh...
(still searching) uh, and lacking ... continuity...
HERE:
..(sounds off stage to the LEFT of course, intrude the following,
until there's a fairly large SLAM sound - but NOT like an
explosion or some such over-the-top SFX !!)...
Glorb: What was that?
Gleeba: (as if resolved to wait for Godot for-ever) Our doom ?
The end? A martian time slip, ....
Glorb: Shut up. There's some one back stage....
...(at this point, a derranged, half-naked and obviously drunk Frank
wanders onto stage, blathering something. In his RIGHT hand (if
the actor is RIGHT HANDED) he holds a half full / half empty
bottle of booze - prob should use JACK DANIALS for this - best
to consult a carbologist to work with the lighting person. In
his OTHER hand (left if he's right handed - again the part of
FRANK can be played by a woman, gay, nether, etc - all of my
parts are "just" archetypes - just like me). in the OTHER hand
are clumped papers (length-wise, folded but NOT crumpled) - art
history notes, criticism, etc.
...Meanwhile the TEXT on the BLACK-BOARD / FLIP-CHART / SCRIM / ETC
becomes
001: I for one, since I do NOT speak for anyone else,
002: would like to tell you that the generic claim
003: *we artists" deserve to be uttered with some modesty.
004:
005: Nobody is more of an artist than you are already
006: acknowledged as such.
007:
008: Are you an artist?
009:
010: Think about it.
011:
012: The claim to be an artist is appealing as it is dangerous.
|
FRANK:
(turns around and looks at the BLACK BOARD)
I for one. What ostentaciousness!
since i do NOT speak for anyone else
well, who else would you speak for?
(takes swig from bottle)
(sloggers about)
(strikes pose)
...(in Winston Churchill voice,
which slowly disolves into
a Mark Twain voice)...
And we shall fight them in the air,
We shall fight them on the land,
We shall fight them on the sea.
And we shall not, well, since i do NOT speak
for anyone else
...(un-strikes pose,
takes another swig from the bottle,
sways slightly)...
(mumbles slightly) would like to tell you that
(drifts off) the generic claim we
(pauses, then more suc-cintly) THE Gen-ehr-ik clay-mm
(slight pause)
(said all togehter,
but not too rapidly) claim we artists
(almost no pause between
thes two lines)
(almost soto, slower) claim we artists
(slight pause, then slower,
but a BIT more soto,
almost whispered actually) claim .. we .. artists
(pause, then - soto) claim
(pause, then - louder slightly) we
( "" "" "" "" ) artists
(nods head down - somber music; something like shosty #11,
2nd mvt about 8:42 - 10:59)
WE ARTISTS.
we artists....
NO SPOKEN WORDS FROM HERE UNTIL NOTICE BELOW - stage directions, etc
(dips head down, swaying, spot light maybe on him, lights
and b/g fade... he dips down onto his knees, head down,
arms to the side - still clinging the bottle in r/l hand
papers in the l/r hand) - music her is shostly #11,2nd
movement (11:00 - 11:59 -- with the trumpets, then
begins the next "scene"... during this minute of PLAY,
he dips lower, and lower, and then about 1/2 way thru,
the stage is re-set around him).
and about 3/4 thru the minute, a stage hand comes takes
the bottle out of his hand - with some slight force.
at about 0:50 seconds the papers - more force, he falls
back on his back - left for dead.
during this minute (11:00 to 12:00) the props are brought
on stage - the 7-11 store front, the writing tables, and
cafe tables with chairs (REAR STAGE, STAGE LEFT - the STREET
WASHER machine will cut in front of them) people sit down
and take up papers to read, a waiter will come in and
deliver food - they are totally in-consequential. The
spacing must be enough for the naked girl and nazis to
be able to run around without disturbing them, the
dine-ers are not completely oblivious to this, but mostly
so. A family of Armenians or Gypsies may be used with good
affect of people who *almost* become invoved.
12:00 - the trumpet and drums....
THIS STARTS THE "dream sequence" (hardly that ;(
the solo snare drum and heavy music (about 12:30)
in comes nazi's chasing a naked girl across the stage,
12:57 - 14:04 in time with the music, she sways behind
one group and/or prop on the stage esaping, but finally
caught 14:25 - 14:40 -- pretty much at the time
the STREET WASHER STARTS UP -- and dragged off stage - prob STAGE RIGHT.
(this dragging - 14:40 and after, they are beating her
as they drag her).... exunt at about 14:47 - before the
drums begin. (they will re-enter after
the gurney is lit;
joining the hoods)
NOTE: At about the time (13:??) that she appears to be going
to get away, the gurney is brought in. Although visible,
it is not yet lit. The paths of the girl running and the
nazi's are cut off by the gurney - much to be done here.
At about 13:23 (pos as late as 13:40) the SEVEN ELEVEN IS LIT UP
-- the hoods start stabbing the old artist -- he tries to run,
they counter
14:05 - WASHER ENTERS 14:16 -- sounds c/t the snare drums
he/they are sprayed as the STEET WASHING MACHINE comes by - it is
off to one side and does not intrude onto the set much. I'd say
that it cuts in thru about the STAGE LEFT by 1/4 to 1/3 diagonally
from STAGE FRONT to STAGE REAR. 14:40 - end of the 7-11 scene -
but continues less lit.
14:55 the gurney is lit.
the hoods and the nazi's turn and move directly toward the
gurney. An old woman is brought in by the admitting nurse
(clip board in hand, clicky-ball-point-pen). The old woman
is placed on the bed by the head nurse
Then: 15:37 - 16:05 the hoods/nazi's move
aside for the senior nurse and techs who bring in
plasma stands ekg/pulse equipment and begin hooking it up.
the naked girl enters - now dressed and with a notebook,
she is now Anne Frank - but the audience has no way of
knowing this; she might be dressed as a nurse with
uniform/hat/shoes - a quick change will be required
(about 45 seconds or so). No real effort is made to
the fact that it is her that just ran off stage. It
may even be that she slips around to the other side
of the stage and enters as the nurse comes in with
the old woman, walking past the gurney, etc. She sits
at the writing desk - ostensibly in the same "room"
as the gurney, facing it - 3/4 facing the audience
to STAGE RIGHT. Possibly a small lamp - but in the
previous chase scene it should not be disturbed
unless it can be worked into the "act" between
her and the nazi's.
AT 16:00 or so (the music becomes dreamy) the old woman
shouts
OLD WOMAN: 16:08 I HATE THIS!!!
(she throws the baked potatoe so that it rolls out
into front centre stage - but does not burst)
during the rest of the time 16:10 - 17:?? the set is
cleared, and only Frank remains (still on his back,
passed out -- it is ELL as FRANK in the same pose
as when FRANK was on stage - this is probably v. clear
if the audience looks closely or not - much to be done)
(time to stretch as appropriate)
the original set is brought back in:
Glorb, Gleeba
The black board with light blue back-drop
around 18:30 or so their voices come back up,
the music begins to fade down.
Frank (who is now played by ELL - dressed in the
same suit as before, clothes NOT rumpled, etc)
gets up, shakes himself off (or shakes off
his stupour) and wanders off STAGE LEFT, as the
music fades completely, voices come up)
Frank (sighs, EXIT STAGE LEFT)
...(fade into)....
GLEEBA: I still don't believe that you can get that
out of the text!! I mean, granted that he's
actually taking OTHER artists less seriously.
If there's one thing that he ISN'T that's
an ART SNOB.
GLORB: Ha! How do you explain his essorteric language?
(following sickly sweet and sarcastic)
It's the same old ploy to keep us ignorant
people who DON'T know what good art is out of
picture. We taxpayers spend our hard earned
money on these museums, and then THEY - the
art intelligencia fill them with shlock that
no one in their right mind would call art. I
mean that one called "For Carl Andre" - which is
just a pile of horse manure blown up to
disgustingly large size, and painted blue!!!??
You call that art???
GLEEBA: You don't understand, when Lynda Benglis did that...
GLORB: See! You actually know who made it!!!
GLEEBA: Yes, but what she was trying to say was...
GLORB: Say it's all a load of...
...(Ell enters)...
ELL: Ahem.
...(Ell takes an empty seat, back to audience,
in front of Glorb and Gleeba)...
GLORB: Well, here s/h/ne is. Now we can hear it from the horse's
own mouth! So, what do you say about you being finally
exposed as a fraud!!!??
ELL: What? Fraud about what?
GLORB: Right here (reads from paper)
Are you an artist? Think about it.
The claim to be an artist is appealing
as it is dangerous. (skipping mumbles)
or not; others are not. No, wait, ...
here it is: deserves respect. It is
a high goal, and it implies that you
will work hard for making it happen,
provided that your talent - yes, the
T word cannot be avoided! will help
in the process! Talent! your talent!
ELL: Fine, i'm not an artist. it's all a big put on.
Can i go now? I have a really bad head ache.
GLORB: Hung over no doubt!
ELL: Yeah right. No, just didn't sleep very well last night.
Horrible night mare...
GLORB: Well, imagin..
GLEEBA: Can it! So, what was the night mare about?
ELL (sits bolt up right) uhh. nothing. just weird..
nothing.
GLORB: Oh, yes tell us what your artistic dream was about.
ELL: No, it's nothing.
GLEEBA: Do you want some water (turns to pick up pitcher)
ELL: Yes, thank you.
GLORB: So, we're all waiting. What was your "night mare" about?
Come on. Out with it. Or should i use a word like that with
you?
ELL: (a bit miffed) OK. It was about a potato. Or actually,
a potatoe - with an 'e'.
GLORB: Not again.
ELL (gets up) walks over to GLORB face-to-face) (slowly becomes
increasingly un-hinged -- Sofia Gubaidulina's "Offertorium -
7:55 to about 19:30 or so)
with increasing volume - or of course "Threnondy" by Viktor)
)
An old woman, who i knew. An artist. Or was she too a fake?
You'll never know. And then all they did is let her die!!!
I was the one that got her good food! They gave her junk
to eat. But, that didn't kill her. I was the one that got
them to give her a KOSHER meal.
GLORB (getting anxious) well that was good..
ELL - go ahead. Ask me if she was Jewish.
GLORB (humouring a madman, slightly) So, was she...
ELL - A JEW??!!! WAS SHE A JEW? AM I??? I mean it was a kosher
meal. After all, you want to know don't you!!!
You have to know!! And the potatoe - yes with an E
it wasn't kosher - it might have been, but they
cooked it in a micro-wave oven -- only takes TEN MINUTES
just TEN MINUTES (and then soto) in the oven it takes longer..
GLORB (starting to panic) Get away from me. Another of your absurd
stunts. You're just a crazy drunk!
ELL - YES. THAT'S IT - that's all i am. just a crazy drunk
and the bit about being an artist - it's all fake
every bit of it. why we all know i can't even draw!!!
...(louder)... But then when they caught her, they
cut her tongue out to keep her from
shouting...
(shouting slightly) BET YOU DIDN'T
KNOW
that (hard T)..
GLORB: Help!! (cowering down)
ELL: (suddenly theatric, calm) yes. that's right. Help
the purpose of my art is to help people to understand
the world around them. To bring beauties to them,
but when necessary to wake them up and realise how
much into the matrix they are.
Not that it helps much.
(starts to exit; stage left natch)
Nothing can help you. After all, i'm just a crazy
artist - and not much of one at that.
After all: "He can't draw."
(strikes pose)
Peace. Take care. Exit, stage left.
(exits stage left)
--42--
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