Shape: A Repository of Information
In the recent Rude Mechanicals Company Intensive, I taught on July 29, 2017, we looked at shape from a Viewpoint lens, a Suzuki lens, and a Rasa lens. Each of these three approaches presented a new perspective into the deconstruction of what shape is. We began with an investigation of line. Through an investigation of our physical space, we were letting the lines of the space rise to the surface of our awareness and take us on a journey. One line running into the next, revealing distance, angle, texture and beginnings of shape. As we walked along this journey with line and shape, we became aware of the human lines we were drawing in space as we crossed from point A to point B, as well as the complex shape and composition of our bodies in space. Our natural human shape began to come to the forefront of our awareness. Walk and Stop. Take an inventory, what is this shape. The possibility of playing with shapes that reflect and interact with the space became present. In the words of one of my students, " there is nothing in the space, that cannot be imitated by the body." Through shape we began to connect to space, to intentionally partner space, to reflect it, and to embody it. We then started to play with the negative space of the room. To play with the negative space that existed within the architecture itself. And of course, how could we not begin to play with the negative space surrounding other human forms and objects. It was here that we also began the introduction of logic, by seamlessly flowing from negative space inspired shape to shape with a partner. The human body is itself a shape, but it is a transformative shape, it reflects other shapes, it is malleable, and flexible and it's expression is only limited by our capabilities. Expand it's capabilities. The raw material of 'the self' truly is an artistic composition all of its own, capable of expressing exquisite beauty. We played with shape as an expression of the senses; shape that was driven by what you see in near, far or infinite focus, what you hear, or how the shape feels like somatically; shape that partners all of the bio-mechanics of the human body at play. We then expanded into shape logic and micro shape. What is the logical progression of shape? Shape responds to other shapes and shifts in a subtle manner as if it were in the process of filming a claymation film. By streaming shape after shape together through space and time we see the emergence of movement. Shape is one of the fundamental building blocks of movement. Shape + Space + Time = Movement.
The next segment of class was focused on breathe and voice as a precursor for Suzuki work. I wanted to introduce notions of text into our work without letting it dominate the shape exploration. We began on the floor in a supine position with our knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tapping into the breath, lengthening from the tail bone up through the crown of the head, breathing into the back body that lies in direct contact with the floor, gathering awareness and insight from the direct feedback of the floor. We then went into the "Big X" work, introducing expansion and contraction of the body and breath. and then we returned to the neutral position on our backs. We played with vibratory sounds to wake up the resonators and the oral cavity and introduce an awareness of sound production and consonant shape. I drew the text of, "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" from Macbeth and spent a little bit of time focused on the shapes of words and repetitive consonants, we also spent a short amount of time focused on the shape of phrases and breaths to support those phrases.
Suzuki begins. We started by gaining an awareness of the center of gravity, the shape and size of it and it's range of motion when standing with feet together in parallel. With our new awareness of the center of gravity, we came back to our focus of shape. Standing in second, we began pressing down and out, grounding through the feet, meanwhile, lifting tall through the torso as if the individual is open vulnerable, visible, and displaying something quite beautiful and highly valuable. Our spine and torso fully lengthened and wide, broadening through the collarbones, letting the neck be long, hands facing the side seams of the legs, head resting in neutral. Eyes find their gaze on an image out in front, beyond the walls, a place of concentration and focus, finding a place of stillness, but full of potential energy. Giving ourself an image that we were not only seeing with the eyes but seeing with our viscera, connecting not just our brain but the body, and the center to that focal point of concentration. This was a shape of power and clarity. Not better or worse than any of the shape work we had already encountered, but full of confidence, strength, energy, focus and potential. We spoke text. We then practiced moving that center of gravity up and down through space. We spoke text. We then added statues to our practice. This was a shape exploration of high, middle, low, with all of the power and groundedness of Suzuki work. Adding arms introduced another awareness of shape, revealing habits, revealing nuance of shape, and challenging the coordination of all possible efforts in upper body with the strength and stability of the lower body.
The last portion of our class was based on Richard Shechner's Rasa Boxes. We started with a brief intro to Rasa and then we began with Shape work in a rasa, taking inventory of the body, exaggerating the efforts to be more communicative and having a partner help us to craft our shapes. This partnering and collaborative process, requires the sculptor to really look at the shape and read it. What information is it offering, what is it expressing, how is that being expressed? And then collaborate to add subtlety and nuance to that expression, making the image more clear. For the person acting as the sculptture, it draws attention to a new level of awareness, that small changes make a big difference. It also enhances our ability to craft deeper, richer, more vibrant shapes when we are working on our own. It points out the parts of our body that we often ignore. It wakes us up to see ourselves through another's lens.
We began adding audible breath, and ultimately vocals. A very normal progression to Rasa that I must say, I am a bit bored with...this must mean that it is time for me to do some studio time. Developmental session needed. The part that was new was introducing the notion of micro shape shifting into the rasas. Small shifts of the shapes that were guided by logic of shape, not our own desire. This helped us to become aware of the natural material and progression of SHAPE itself. There is also an important moment when we have found shape, breath, and voice and then we become rigid. Instead of becoming rigid allow micro shifts in breath, voice and body to inform and enter into dialogue with the rest of the elements. A cyclical feedback process will begin to fuel itself. I also added an awareness of people on the grid with us. We added the opportunity to play with text, and to allow the text to become a dialogue among all of the Rasas. This particular rasa session felt as if it revealed how emotion can be shape and shape emotional. Emotion also offers the gift of shape to text. The physiology of manipulation breathe pattern, rhythm and tempo, offers information about the way the thoughts inherent in the text are formulating in the mind and coming out through the breath, voice and body.
