"IKON"
Initial project description
A modern monologue by Motherboard
INTRODUCTION
In historical terms an icon is a devotional aid that gives a physical form
to the transcendental. As the title of Motherboard's project it is an entrance
point to a performance that explores the psyche of Vlasav Nijninsky, one of
the most innovative figures in the history of ballet who almost single-handedly
reasserted the primacy of male dancers in ballet after a long period of decline.
A radically innovative choreographer whose work transcended the norms of his
time, he embodied the sensuality and sexual ambiguity associated with the
distinctive new art of the twentieth-century expressed in the works of artists
such as Kandinsky. Nijinsky's ballets and the roles he danced were as scandalous
for their sexual themes as for their radical balletic experimentations. Voyeurism,
sexual primitivism, bisexuality, autoeroticism, and sexual ambiguity are all
features of his work. Nijinsky's own sexual charisma, and poetic acting, contributed
powerfully to the erotic resonances of his performances. He caused a riot
in the Théâtre de Champs- Elysées when “Le Sacre du Printemps” was premiered
in Paris (1913), and when he "masturbated" with the faun's scarf in “L'Apres-midi
d'un Faune” (1916).
Despite his apparent rock star status Nijinsky's fate was not a happy one
- a trait he shares with other idolized and revolutionary figures such as
Jesus Christ, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, etc. He gave his last public performance
in 1917 at the age of 29. The intense pressure of both his intertwined private
and professional relationships and his reactions to the war (where he began
to sympathize with revolutionaries in their loathing of materialism) put a
great strain on Nijinsky. He became extremely depressed and may have receded
into delusion. His wife eventually committed him to a mental institution,
where drugs and experimental shock treatments (perhaps administered in an
attempt to "cure" his homosexuality as well as his depression) effectively
destroyed him. He lived, like a melancholy ghost, shuttled between private
homes and institutions, until April 8, 1950, when he died of renal failure
in London. Over half a century after his death artists and historians alike
continue to seek clues in his turbulent, scandalous life story - the personalities
that surrounded him and the impact that World War 1 had on the artist - and
his works to try and understand how he seemed to synthesize the social, political
and artistic revolutions happening around him.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS
Ikon draws upon “Nijinsky: Death of a Faun” by David Pownall and Vaslav Nijinsky's
diary as textual material for manuscript development. We meet the legendary
figure of Nijinsky as a fallen star, full of delusions of grandeur, bitterness
and vengeance, in the setting of a small chapel in a mental home. He has just
received the news of the the death of Russian ballet impresario, Serge Diaghilev.
Confined to the mental institute, Nijinsky has been allowed one hour to mourn
the death of his mentor, ex-lover and most influential figure of his life.
In the solitary confinement of the chapel, Ninjinsky undertakes a soulsearching
journey where he attempts to come to terms with his pitiful situation, tries
to make amends with his gods and contemplates the notion of taking his own
life. In his delusional state, he is haunted by ghosts from both the past,
present and future, and those of his own demising. He is ultimately left with
two choices; self denial or acceptance. He chooses denial.
The stark scenography is currently envisaged as a free-standing construction
resembling the back wall of a chapel, a candelabra and a chair. The wall has
three transparent arched panels and, with the help of back projections, resembles
the stained glass windows of the chapel. The imagery on the arched windows
will be animated in realtime, and acts as a antagonistic force throughout
the monologue.
METHOD - COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
The theatrical staging of the monologue draws on interdisciplinary practices
of theatre, dance, visual/video art and music. Ikon will be developed in a
collaborative process involving all participants where poetic/dramatic synaesthesia
is a key word. Synesthesia roughly translates as "the bringing together of
the senses" and refers to the phenomenon that the stimulation of one sense
modality gives rise to a sensation in another sense modality. The notion of
synaesthasia caused a buzz in both scientific and artistic spheres at the
time of Nijinsky's artistic peak. Experiencing a revival in the 1960's, synaesthesia
was connected to hallucinative experiences (often induced by drugs), the arts,
pop/rock culture, science, new inventions - in short, the pursuit of a radically
new way of perceiving the world. Currently, psychologists approach synaesthesia
foremost as a neurological phenomenon, while generally artists are exploring
digital devices to elicit synesthesia.
While this performance will take advantage of digital devices for simultaneous
audio-visual rendering, the notion of synaesthesia as a poetic device is also
applied more generally to the collaborative work-in-process in practical,
metaphorical and conceptual terms.
The textual development of the monologue will be explored as a synthesis of
text material drawn from the previously mentioned works and text samples from
other sources, including the words of other notorious historical and modern
iconic figures from the past and present. The text will also be developed
such that syaesthetic evocations are present (for example, "black is like
the silence of the body after death, the close of life", Kandinsky).
Kinetic synaesthesia refers to the experience of movement on the stage, from
the body language of the actor, to the projected imagery, and the sense of
movement evoked by sound. The projected imagery will be developed as dynamic
background and a light source while sometimes taking on the role of an actor
(at times ghost-like manifestations appear and "talk to" Nijinsky), providing
both iconic figurative and abstract value. It will function as both decor
and as part of the narrative. A parallel approach will be applied to the sound
development.
What we will attempt to do is to synthesize the psyche of a fallen star at
the lowest point of his life from which he can but fall further without attempting
to present Nijinsky in terms of authenticity.
The notion of synaesthesia will seep into all aspects of the collaborative
process to achieve this aim, also drawing a red line through history from
the early 20th Century to the current day. Rather than serving as a dogmatic
principle, the notion provides a fundament for rediscovering the monologue
as a theatrical form that embraces classical dramatical dilemmas such as self
realization, soul searching and suicide as well as modern phenomena such as
sampling and mediation.
INFLUENCES, INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES AND REFERENCES
- Some kind of Monster (the film), Metallica, 2004
- Dead Celebrity Diaries, Kate Pendry, from 1999
- Wouldn't it be Nice (biography), Brian Wilson with Todd Gold, 1992
- Art of Memory (film), Woody Vasulka, , 1987
- Bohemian Rhapsody (the video), Queen, 1975
- Elvis Presley, 1935 - 1977 (particularly the late 60's -70's period)
- Jim Morrison, 1943 - 1971
- Wassily Kandinsky, 1866 - 1944
- Alexander Scriabin, 1872-1915
- Jesus Christ, approx. 4 BC - approx. 30 AD