From the 26th February, we had a Reading Week dedicated to further researching and writing our projects dependent on our module choices. For Solo Performance, my key focus was to enrich my performance material and to research into Tim Miller’s performance style for influence.
Tim Miller is a performance artist who has been active for 35 years. As a gay man, LGBT+ rights are at the forefront of his solo performances. Miller, like Karen Finley who’s performance style I have analysed previously, uses grotesque and often controversial language to make more of an impact upon the audience. The purpose of this language is to evoke a reaction – to stir the audiences thought process about the issues he is discussing. Three of his most notable works, being The Queer Body (1992), Glory Box (1999) and Lay of the Land (2009) discuss his personal experiences being part of the LGBT+ community, whilst reiterating personal issues he has faced.
The similarity between Miller and Finley is the use of personal story to make commentary on an oppressed group. Finley takes focus on women’s rights and emancipation, whether as Miller discusses LGBT+ equality and oppression. Using their own lives, they tackle wider issues, hence removing elements of narcissism and instead creates a tone of ‘open-mindedness’, per se.
Overall, I found that Millers work could be used in my own solo performance in the following ways:
1) It has influenced my opinion on how to use autobiographical stories to discuss wider issues and topics
2) He has demonstrated ways to use the body as a means of storytelling
3) Imagery, particularly patriotic and proud imagery through the use of flags, showed how items with certain connotations can evoke different reactions when juxtaposed together.
4) Language must be carefully selected dependent on my intention.
To start further research into my Solo Performance idea, I took to YouTube to discover the extent to which the Illuminati face scrutiny and backlash, potentially unwarrantedly. In a video by The Richest, I discovered a video entitled ‘The Illuminati in Pop Culture’ which is attached below.
One of the more ridiculous claims in the video is that the Illuminati ‘use big events, such as the Superbowl or Golden Globes, to summon the Devil in front of millions of spectators’. Events such as the Superbowl and Golden Globe are done as a celebration of sport and theatrical excellence in the US, yet the conspiracy surrounding them and their links to the Illuminati. It seems that there is support for this theory within the media, with a recent article in The Guardian entitled ‘Does the Illuminati control the world? Maybe it’s not such a mad idea’ by Julian Baggini.
Influential performers such as the likes of Beyoncé are not immune to trivialisation to Illuminati claims. In fact, they are heavily speculated to have garnered their success through some form of secretive pact. My intention with the performance is not to evoke conspiracy amongst my audience, but to poke fun at the rather ridiculous claims against members of the celebrity circle.
Through the use of projection, my aim is ultimately to show the images indicative of the Illuminati and to create a solemn tone at the beginning of the piece. Moving through, I intend to create a humorous tone to the performance, poking fun at them.
WANT: To find more imagery to do with the Illuminati, as well as find more of the roots behind its conception. This will involve researching into The Enlightenment, which will likely take me back to before the French Revolution. Through this, I will have a grounds to poke fun at the claims made in the media and by conspiracy theorists, as I will have more of a grounded idea of the fundamental ideology behind the conception of the group.
LEARNT: I’ve certainly learnt a lot during this reading week. Not only have I learnt and been able to apply the four reflections I have from Miller’s work (Autobiographical Work, Body Movement, Imagery and Language), but have also learnt about the topic I wish to explore in my performance. It can certainly be seen that there if a disconnect between media representations of celebrities and the Illuminati’s influence and the fundamental reality of it. Events like the Supebowl and Golden Globes are trivialised within the conspiracy to evoke a reaction from the masses.
EXPERIENCE: Overall, the experience for my research during reading week was overwhelmingly positive. I’ve found a key interest point within the topic of ‘conspiracy theory’ and ‘illuminati’ that I had identified earlier and believe I am now in a position to begin creating material soon.
Works Cited
Baggini, J. (2018) Does the Illuminati control the world? Maybe it’s not such a mad idea. The Guardian: London. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/14/illuminati-running-world-not-mad-idea-questioning-hidden-power-elites-sane [Accessed 27th February 2018]
Miller, T. (2018) Tim Miller Performer Blog. BlogSpot. Available at: http://timmillerperfomer.blogspot.co.uk/ [Accessed 28th February 2018]
Perel, M. (2011) Tim Miller on Glorybox – Interview. TimeOut: Chicago. Available at: https://www.timeout.com/chicago/gay-lesbian/tim-miller-on-glory-box-interview [Accessed 24th February 2018]
The Richest (2015) The Illuminati in Pop Culture. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQjXHmmeO6Y [March 1st 2018]