Testing

After thinking about the impact of digital technology on performance, I ask myself “why is this such a difficult concept for me to form an opinion on?” I think the impact is very situational. I thought that technology in The Revolutions was a disadvantage because it took away from the story. Maybe that’s all that technology is in performance. A way to distract from getting lost in the fiction and instead focusing on the actual world we are part of, prohibiting a close aesthetic distance. Maybe some viewers want to maintain a large gap between their conscious reality and the reality of the performance so they can engage critically. There is not one type of viewer, just like there is not one type of impact.

Thought #1

I’ve been having weird dreams lately. The kind where you see people you haven’t actually seen in years, and it makes you wonder why they appeared in your dream. This got me thinking about the connectedness between myself and the people in my dreams. We’re so distant from each other in real life, but we manage to be brought together in some way, shape, or form through this dream. This reminds me of how spider web show functions and what it achieves. It acts as a platform connecting people, who are also distant from each other, in live performance, which is a concept that is still being integrated in society. It has its flaws, it’s not perfect, but it aims to create an extraordinary experience for the participants, one that still may seem unreal.

Thought #5

Technology and social media consume me so much and I keep letting it go on. I feel so invested in maintaining and updating my social media presence. There’s this burning need to let everyone know what I’m doing or show them how I look. Sometimes I’ll delete apps to distance myself from the social atmosphere and focus on myself without any distractions. I’ll re-install them as a treat to myself when I’ve done all my work or when I feel like it’s been long enough without checking instagram or snapchat. I thought to myself, is it really such a reward to be able be part of the social media world? Does it define who I am or my worth? If that’s the case, social media is more than just consuming, it’s toxic.

Thought #3

I think there is a difference between liveness in terms of performance and experience. A live performance is when you’re viewing an event at the same time in the same space, like a concert, whereas a live experience is viewed at the same time (even if there’s a delay) but the space is not shared, like watching the oscars. I think it’s important to note the distinction between performance and experience because though they are different, they each have equitable value to the individual. I think the concept of liveness is put on this pedestal. If something is live it automatically has more value than a pre-recorded performance. It’s a very personal thing and to say that one person’s version of a live interaction is less significant than someone else’s is unfair because the circumstances in which they are able to experience something live may be different.

Thought #4

I think the idea of value in liveness is something that pertains to thought residencies. My thoughts haven’t demonstrated the criteria that a live performance entails in that they are not only pre-recorded, but I spent time thinking about what I was going to say before I actually recorded it. If I had just recorded myself in the moment, would that give the thought that extra edge? Do other thoughts that have that liveness factor mean more than my thoughts which I spent time thinking about? Although liveness has value automatically attached to it, I don’t think cognitive processes, which can be performative if there’s an audience, benefit from liveness because logic and reasoning require time and practice which are not aspect of liveness.

Emily Tac