Abstract
The practice-as-research projected ‘RUN FOR YOUR LIFE’ is a sixty minute autobiographical solo performance. The performance took place on a scale map painted on a black floor, marking all of the world’s countries and their capitals. The solo performer runs from one to the next in alphabetical order while telling stories of leaving her home. She continues to tell stories and give statistics from her native land, and her new chosen home. Redrawing the parts of the world most important to her, she gives us a glimpse of how her national and personal identity may be formed and impact on her life. She maps out some of the places she would like to visit, see and explore, before ending with a statement of planning one or more of these possible journeys.The critical commentary or reflection discusses three different areas or themes employed in the performance ‘RUN FOR YOUR LIFE’, departures, maps and autobiography. It will look at the role of the travelling artist in society. What they can offer to the people they meet and the places they travel through. It will also discuss how this performance was brought further with a trip to Barcelona. The performer stated that she would take this trip at the end of the performance.
In the section on maps, the choice and construction of the map used in the performance will be discussed. It will also explore the different types of maps that were employed, maps that go beyond what conventional cartography can express or represent.
The final section on autobiography considers how the phrase at the end of the performance (stating that the performer will leave on a given date) is viewed by the audience. Is it deemed to be a promise or simply an utterance by a performer on stage?
| Date of Award | 2010 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Jill Greenhalgh (Supervisor) |