The Power of Art
In this documentary, I investigate the impact Art has had on individuals and society.
Concept Origins
The projects and experiments which inspired the concept.
Past, Present & Future Artistic Self
This outline of my body represents my past, present and future artistic self.
When I was younger, I used to enjoy writing and performing, I would regularly attend clown workshops at the local children’s theatre. I would also enjoy drawing, especially ocean landscapes with boats, sailing on the sea. As I got older, this creativity seemed to desert me. I became extremely unhappy as I pursued a career outside of the creative industry.
As I rediscover the creative arts in my later life, I’ve realised it’s importance to me. That allowing myself to be creative provides me with a healing energy, which drives away the darkness and depression.
Atrix’s Impression
This is a piece of writing by my collaborative partner Atrix in response to my painting.
The words Simplicity & Individuality struck a chord with me. I am a person who tends to over complicated things and get bogged down with detail, which can sometimes restrict me creatively. Simplifying is a trait which I have had to learn. Individuality is a very important concept for me, I take great pleasure in discovering the beauty in the uniqueness of the individual.
’Ask not the reason behind your words.’
My Commute in Adverts
I decided to take photographs of some of the adverts I encountered on my commute to University. I wanted to explore how the messages in the adverts could impact us as individuals. Advertisements tend to highlight the things that we lack in our lives, to create fester a need for their product.
I created this film, displaying some of the advertisements, and asked my collaborators to create advertisements with positive messages from cut-outs I had accumulated from newspapers and magazines.
Featuring designs from Atrix, Ola, Feride, Aisha, Sandra, Marissa, Betsy, Milly, Khairika, Noelia & Rose.
Lilly
I was involved in an experimental storytelling exercise with my group. We were given 3 pieces of paper and wrote down a place, a thing and a noun on each piece, we placed them in a hat. We divided into teams and selected 3 pieces of paper at random and were asked to create a story from our choices. Atrix and I selected a Cat, a knife and a Well. Our story was about a cat who falls down a well and dies.
The story had a personal significance for me, as my cat, Sugar passed away in 2018. I wondered whether creative process could prove therapeutic in confronting past trauma.
Talking Frankly
This is a zoom performance called Talking Frankly. The character Frida, is a person, pretending to be another person in order to get money. This character was inspired by my work in the corporate world, in which I pretended to be someone I wasn’t, in order to fit in.
Are we who we say we are? Are we what people see? Are we what society tells us? Or are we all of these things? Or none?
Experiments in Devising & Storytelling
I conducted a series of experiments to develop my devising & storytelling process.
The aim was to explore societal issues, whilst developing a technical framework for storytelling & character development.
Hierarchies: Devising Experiments
I conducted a series of experiments investigating hierarchical structures & power dynamics & encouraged my group to improvise around these scenarios. The experiments are detailed below.
Protest Improvisation
I encouraged my group to create a list of the things they cared about most in the world. I then invited them to create a protest banner focused on the thing they cared about most. They were then asked to imagine that they were at a protest for whatever they had chosen. I asked the group to improvise a scene based around this protest.
Character Archetypes Improvisation
Joseph Campbell theorised that in every story, there exists 8 character archetypes which appear. These are: The Hero, The Shadow, The Mentor, The Shapeshifter, The Trickster, The Herald, The Guardian and the Ally. I asked my group to select these labels at random from a hat and improvise a scene as housemates in character.
COORE Method
I developed a workbook for character development based on the COOR method I learnt from my drama teacher, Mark Field. I added some techniques from other thinkers in performance technique. I also included some exercises I created.
A sample of the COORE Method booklet I documented.
Atrix as Ottis, in an exercise from Susan Batson’s book, Truth: Personas, Needs, and Flaws in the Art of Building Actors and Creating Characters.
The Idea
I noticed some recurring themes within my recent work:
My own personal journey from corporate life to performing / writing / studying MA in Collaborative Theatre Making.
The influence of media on society and individuals.
Creative arts as a therapeutic process.
I decided that I wanted to research various artforms and investigate the influence they have had on individuals and society. I decided that I would use a documentary format, as it was a medium I have very little experience and knowledge off, I wanted to try something new.
The Research
The Power of Art Interviews
I began my research by interviewing people who work within the arts or in other fields to get their thoughts on how the arts influence society, individuals and themselves. The responses are below:
I decided to research examples of artistic projects & movements which have changed society.
The Advertising Sector
Can images, sounds and stories change the way we think and influence our behavior?The advertising sector certainly thinks so, a 1.2 Trillion dollar industry, dedicated to changing our behavior and influencing our decisions.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler understood the power that art could hold over the masses. A failed artist himself who was twice rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, he designed the logo which became synonymous with his Nazi party, appropriating an ancient Indian symbol of spirituality.
The Beatles
The Beatles’ US tour coincided with the passing of the civil rights act and during their time in the States the band refused to appear at concerts and venues, causing organisers at the Gator Bowl in Florida to change their policy and allow the stadium to be integrated.
The Film Industry
Film is one of the most popular artforms of our times, with the film Industry generating around 136 billion dollars in 2018. With such a large audience, cinema has the ability to reach a large number of people with its messages.
Over the years a number of films have opened up debates around important issues, created seismic changes in public opinion towards subject matter and lead to political & social reform.
Banksy
The arts have been instrumental in advancing numerous causes over the past few decades.
In 2015, Banksy created a pop-up exhibition called, Dismaland in Western-Super-Mare, bringing in 150,000 visitors to the seaside town and boosting the economy by 20 million pounds. 36 days later, Banky closed the exhibition and sent all of the timber and fixtures to the ‘jungle’ refugee camp near Calais to build shelters for refugees.
The Movie
I created a feature length documentary based on my research and findings.
I wanted the film to draw a comparison between the impact the arts have had on me as an individual and to the impact the arts have had on society throughout history. I wanted to get a message across to the audience that Art is important and the things that we create, can have an impact on others.
The final segment includes a stream of consciousness style, spoken word poem; reflecting on some of the findings I had uncovered through the creation process.
