in the process of creating our piece of site specific performance. I conducted some research into the performance are company “the reckless sleepers”; the group have inspired my work before, in fact there piece “the last supper” was very much the muse for a piece called “supper for sinners” that I devised in my first year at university contrasting the apostles at the last supper with the seven deadly sins. I personally find there treatment of the themes of memories death and the question of what art truly is fascinating.
the company first formed in 1988 and drew its name from “the restless sleeper” by Rene Magitte
I believe that the painting represents how mans internal desires for self appreciation (the mirror) our obsession with public presentation (the top hat and bow) our constant struggle to be happy and healthy (the apple and dove) and our constant thirst for knowledge (the candle) create turmoil and prevent us from sleeping soundly. perhaps Reckless Sleepers have also found this interpretation of the painting, and related its meaning into the world of art and theatre? does arts obsession with explaining the world create unrest?
Reckless sleepers formed as a response to “Proper theatre in big spaces” (Reckless,2015) believe that theatre could not be used to explain the world due to its small relevance. performing a piece in a s mall country theatre does not resonate a message about the world. it could be argued that Reckless sleepers reject conventional theatre as it goes against the principle of performance; by shutting art behind an auditorium door, we segregate it from the world at the end of the day.
the company do not draw inspiration for text, referring to their devising process as almost random in nature. the draw from the ideas one gets when “in front of a computer screen, a black box, on a train journey home, or at midnight.” (Reckless, 2015). through their devising, Reckless sleepers create worked tied to the every day; the company creates work that not only takes place in locations but becomes a part of there history. there pieces are “installed” rather than “performed” giving their striking Imagery and clever use of sensory stimulation much more impact.
the last supper plays of the audiences perceptions of taste. using the last meals of death-row inmates to create a juxtaposition. the lavish meals contradict the idea of criminals as well as the dark subject matter. this idea of serving food is one element of Reckless sleeper’s work I hope to integrate into the playroom turing lavish meals into jars of baby-food that the audience are encouraged to sample creating contradictions between flavour and texture, making our audience even more uneasy. Reckless sleepers approach to both the purpose of art and the treatment of audiences are very interesting examples of juxtaposition in performance. throughout this devising process hope to incorporate their methods into my own work.
