Territorial Membranes
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
by Mesimaaria Koponen (FIN), Caitlin Mills-Sheehy (AUS), Caitlyn Parry (AUS), Laure Severac (F)
The two starting points were public space as a means to an ends (a space that must be overcome to reach ones destination), and the definitions of a territory. We were interested in prompting a response from the public using a technique that did not require a direct asking of them, which was proven as the most successful way of engagement from the instant occupation action. One travels through a number of spaces or territories in any one day. These territories, on a gross level, can be defined by structural elements such as walls, doors, signs etc, however we were wanting to explore and set up situations where one (the public) had to create a territorial membrane from more non tangible elements. We decided to create a territory where the barrier (referred to as a membrane) to the territory takes the form of the senses (touch: static and dynamic, sound and vision: reflections). Four methods of territory definition were created, each performed for 15 minutes over 2 cycles. 3 people participated at one time, with the third documenting.
Act one was shuffling along the stairs with the intention of obstruction the public’s line of travel (with the intensity of the obstruction adjusted to the individual’s capacity to interact ie: elderly were omitted),
Act two involved lying on the stairs forming zig zag spaces to see if the public would step over the performers or conform to the created pathways.
Act three was to create a triangular space with sound (each person making a noise ie. clapping, vocal noise and scraping metal object down tiled wall).
Act four was using mirrors to create an intensity between the 3 performers where one reflected the others image in the triangle.
The questions to be answered were: which of the methods was more conducive in creating a non-permeable membrane to a territory that the public acknowledged, respected or were confused by, how can one engage the public and provide a haptic experience, and what methods broke the daily monotony of the pedestrian action of the exiting/entering the u-bahn.
documentation (pdf): Territorial Membranes Action
