Analogue in Miniature

Hello all.

Analogue have spent the last couple of weeks in residence at The Junction and its been rather delightful. After months of research; delving into Liam’s childhood, model making (glueing fingers together!) and trips to the Microsoft labs the last two weeks have been dedicated to playing, testing and discovering. Our Theatre has been gutted to leave a flat wooden floor and expanse of space ready for a hub of wires, hi and low-fi equipment, tiny furniture and endless ideas. A scrapbook of thoughts. A playground of activity.

We’ve had useful discussions about the overall feel, form and focus of the work-in-progress:

* Is the work ultimately designed for one audience member at a time or a small group of participants? If its a group how do we ensure an engaging experience for all?

*Striking the balance between low-fi and high-fi: miniature maquettes and a ‘ramshackle’ aesthetic combined with the new technology of a surface table.

*Looking after both Liam (and his autobiographical story) and the audience. How far can we push audience participation and the dialogue between Liam and his father at the end of the showing?

*The significance of Liam’s entrance in person towards the end after previous communication only being via audio.

*How to begin and end the work-in-progress? Finding ways to start and finish a body of work which is still in its early stages of creative development. Providing a sense of continuity for the audience whilst leaving room to try out new ideas.

*How much to prompt / instruct the audience and how much to improvise / hand over to chance? Providing space for audience members to fill in the gaps and write their own stories.

*Layering and the line between truth and fiction: the mixture of autobiography, re-written events, scripted sections and filmic moments.

*The importance of memory: Liam’s personal memories; the memories audiences bring; childhood memories V’s adult memories; memories which change and become re-written; the acceptance of memories over time; the fragility of memory; memory gaps; memories which fade and those which we choose to forget.

In order to begin responding to some of these initial enquiries we road-tested three core moments of the work (the initial phone call, placing our head on a carpet and the dialogue between Liam and the audience – where one member is asked to play the role of his father) on Junction programmers, technicians and Associate Artists.

The scratch threw up some answers and lots of food for thought:

*Finding the tone of Liam’s performance / non-performance

*Using the space to its full potential and considering the overall aesthetic

*Establishing a sense of magic, nostalgia and playfulness

*Giving weight to spontaneity, exploration and engagement

*The scope of the phone and camera for interactivity

*Developing and extending the final conversation between Liam and the audience member (as his father)

Since this scratch a £10,000 surface table has arrived in the building and the plan is to spend some time experimenting with technology and its role in the the overall story.

We’ve decided to share the final Sandbox work-in-progress on 29th September with 2-7 audience members at a time (leaving one slot available for a one-on-one performance to test out this dynamic). There will be ten 30 min performances throughout the day followed by a cup of tea, biscuits and a bit of informal feedback. So far we’ve got artists, producers, programmers, students and punters signed up.

We’re also planning two more scratches next week before the final sharing: one with our Junction Young Company (aged 13-17, expect very frank responses) and the other to grapple with technology and find its place within the narrative.

Thank you for reading and more updates coming soon.

Kate