Thursday, April 14, 2016

17 Oranges

 
 My idea for this piece was to use these oranges in a familiar but uncomfortable way. My concept evolved from just peeling them, to peeling then throwing them off the table, to finally peeling and smashing them. I didn't rehearse this piece, so I adapted to what was happening as I performed it. As I began to peel the first orange it tore in half. I decided to roll with that and began half peeling, half tearing the oranges apart and squeezing them onto the table. My hands got wet and slippery from the juices as the performance went on, which made it progressively harder. I knew that I wanted a serious, detached demeanor. I didn't want my face to pull focus away from the actions I was performing. Through theatre and especially puppetry I have learned how to control my body and facial expression, which was very useful in this performance. Overall I am pleased with this performance. I think the audience got what I wanted them to: pleasure and discomfort.

9 comments:

  1. Your documentation looks GREAT, Amanda. Wonderful work. Yes, pleasure and displeasure.

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  2. I really liked your performance and how you made the audience use all of our senses. The way you set up the light really kept me focused on the oranges, as their orange peel seemed to shine even as you destroyed them. I also liked how you started your performance having us wait on you the artist to come in and start the show. I felt like your performance was very creative and well put together. Hearing about how your processes evolved was informative and is a good way to show the progress you have made in such a short time. I certainly felt discomfort at the sight of wasted food but the sent of oranges was pleasing as well as the overall presentation. Maybe if you decide to do this again make it so the spray of the juice gets on more people, I like the idea of the audience being able to physically feel your performance and become apart of the art. Over all Good job! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next :)
    -Kristal

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  4. Your performance was captivating. Your stoic expression and lighting allowed for me as an audience member to focus solely on the actions being performed at hand. As Kristal had mentioned as well, I liked how we were able to watch you enter and exit the performing space as well. The action of ripping apart oranges was absurd, and I loved it. I also enjoyed how my other senses took over as the performance went on, specifically my sense of smell. The smell of orange juice lingered after it had ended. Visually I liked the mountain of orange flesh that you had made. If you were to do this again perhaps only rip the oranges that are within your reach? When you got up to grab more oranges it broke a little bit of the concentration in the moment. Overall, captivating and thrilling to watch!

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  5. OH and I really like the title of your work, too!

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  6. I loved this performance. There are so many elements that enhanced it- the smell of the oranges, the juices flying everywhere, your facial expression and tone not detracting from the action. I loved the element of surprise that came with peeling the oranges, and that you chose to squeeze the juices onto the table. It made me think about taking ordinary actions and transforming them, or perhaps looking at our everyday actions in a larger context- I thought a lot about waste during and after your performance, especially food waste as it relates to society today. Just a thought. Visually, it was intriguing and your experience in theater definitely helped to make this a strong performance. good job! :)

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  7. I absolutely loved Amanda's piece and how it tied all the senses and emotions together. It made me question, confront, laugh, get upset, and enjoy this destruction of oranges. I did question this performance half way through especially with the waste of the oranges. Which was one of the focuses of the performance, to make the viewer feel upset and uncomfortable. I loved this piece aesthetically with the way the juices squirted at random. Every time I didn't know if I was going to get orange juice on my laptop or not. After the piece is done and the chaos has settled we finally smelled the juices of the refreshing orange. It really made me feel that the destruction has settled and what is left is the wafts, which smelled hopeful and happy completely opposite of the destruction.

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  8. Amanda, I really enjoyed your performance. I can still remember the strong scent of the oranges in my mind. They really left a lasting impression after your performance. I can also clearly remember the sound of the oranges hitting the table and bouncing onto the floor. I was really impressed with the amount of oranges which stayed on the table. I also really enjoyed how you ripped the oranges apart rather than just simply peeling each delicately; I believe this aspect of your performance was well executed. Not going to lie, the mess of the peels and the juices of the oranges that covered the table were frustrating for me as a neat freak to see haha. But I think that it was this that was so effective with your performance. I also really appreciated the lighting. It was so simple and perfect for your performance. Your outfit choice was also important - I liked the simplicity. Great first performance!

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  9. This piece was a really phenomenal experience for the eyes. I was drawn to the usage of color and space in particular. The placement of your table in the corner of the room, opening up to us and the color of the oranges against the black made the experience more vivid and mentally vibrant. The drama of being placed in the space when you came in and turned on the light was a really effective way of focusing our eye on the images you wanted us to and giving us a frame. While other performances used light and took place in the same room, this framing pulled me completely into your experience, I was riveted and my eyes never wandered over the course of your performance. I loved your stoicism and focus, this was part of what made your piece so absurd and so riveting, because I was so hung up on the way you destroyed and mutilated the orange flesh.

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