Apologia

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‘Existence’ within the world is of dual nature. It is a combination of the physical presence and the immateriality of perception. The notion of ‘being’ or ‘presence’ has been discussed by philosophers throughout time. John Locke describes the properties of existence in two categories: that which the world possesses regardless of our observing it (primary objective properties); and that which gives rise to experience and behaviours (secondary subjective properties).

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The thesis is a discussion of the experience that takes place between physicality and perceptual immateriality. To do that, the fictional world of theatre is explored.

 

Theatre consists of an assemblage of a narrative, a physical performance and a sensible atmosphere. However, the theatrical world only comes into being upon the audience’s presence, and is dependent upon their perceiving it. The Fourth Wall (the Proscenium Arch) is the threshold within which the narrative of a theatrical performance and the perception of it meet. It is through this window that the audience are transported sensibly and mentally to a different place to that within which they are physically present.

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The Proscenium Arch was popularised during the Italian Renaissance as a fixture that creates a frame to accommodate the previously introduced perspective scenery. Perspective was used to create the illusion of space and depth and a visual focus using the audience’s sense of vision to transport them into the fictional reality of a place.

Further research into the experience of theatrical performance has lead me to site-specific theatre as a ‘recontexualisation’ of performance; taking the audience to an unfamiliar place and therefore exposing their senses and emotions (such as vulnerability and curiosity) to create a transcendent experience. My pursuit of understanding the nature and condition at which site-specific performance takes place has highlighted that its site-specificity, generally, originates not from its locality but by the elements and conditions that are presented at the given location.

 

The project suggests an architecture which assists the conditions of a site and expresses the physicality of presence as a means to create a transcendent experience.

The site is located in the Cardiff Bay area that is significant for its historical identity. Its location provokes the memory of its previous tidal conditions and intense industrial atmosphere. The specific site for the project runs across the barrage embankment, chosen for its extreme environmental conditions and strong elemental quality. Its recent introduction as a man-made structure has caused a substantial change in the conditions of the Cardiff Bay coastal experience, adding an element of illusion that is deceptive to its true nature. The embankment now runs as a line between two worlds: the intense tidal sea, and the benign lagoon and its cityscape.

 

Based on the idea of the proscenium arch as a threshold between the narrative and its perception, the programme takes the unexpecting audience across and within a sequence of experiences. These are linked in a progressing narrative: Embodiment; Knowledge; Romance; Death; Spiritual.

The architecture is of a transformative quality implied by incorporating the variable conditions of the site which in turn intensify the senses.

 

The programme engages the audience and performers on varying levels and thereby transcends the conventional. It is managed and performed by students of Elemental Theatre who add a constantly evolving aspect of creative exploration.

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 At the end of the experience the audience are left in a state of double consciousness; central awareness of the body and the self, and an external sensory awareness of place.