Andrew Houston

Deep-Mapping the Conference Routine:
A Workshop of Site-Specific Performance Practices for the Conference Goer  

Rationale:
In every site-specific performance the artist must spend a lot of time walking around, looking at the site * the resource for creation. This creation is akin to this act of enunciation, to be perpetually working between the absence of what we imagine the site to be and the material evidence of its proper and present uses. If we consider the ubiquitous transient environments of our contemporary life: shopping malls, expressways, hotels, or even university campuses, this creation process takes on a new dimension. The walker/artist can never resolve the multiple and conflicting uses of the site into some 'proper' definition. Such sites pose unique challenges to the animating practices of a site-specific artist, and it is these challenges that I wish to address in this workshop.   

Process:
Workshop participants will engage in a three-part process: First, we will examine specific sites at the University of Western Ontario using a variety of sensorium1-gathering techniques. The sensorium data will then be used as the foundation for a deep-map; that is, it may now be explored using different layers of animation to create a dramaturgical weave (Time: approx. 45 minutes).

Second, the development of 'depth' in each map will be examined for their haptic, kinaesthetic, and experiential qualities. This will be a creation / rehearsal process. (Time: approx. 30 minutes).

Third, the final phase will allow the sharing of maps among participants. A focus will be to concentrate on the key role of the spectator in site-specific work; through the speculation, the piecing together, the memory, and the embodied experiences of the spectator, new layers of depth are added to the map. (Time: approx. 15 minutes).