Posted by Jamie @ Bellerbys Brighton
We are trapped.
Our boundaries are limited, our spaces confined.
We are all being watched; we are all being judged.
We are all Under Glass.
One of Brighton's many prized features, though often overlooked, is its endless calendar of events. I'm in love with this city primarily for its urban, grunge culture that oozes out creativity and artistic expression.
Mrs. Dreiling, my Photography teacher, introduced me to the magic of Brighton theatre performances and it was then that I came across Under Glass. From the one image printed in the catalogue, I was captivated and utterly engrossed
Not only was it a dance performance, it was completely relevant to my Photography project [I'm currently exploring themes of Identity].
I had been religiously slashing days off my calender, drawing the date closer and closer until finally, it was 7pm and I was sitting in the cafe of The Basement. I entered the hall labelled 'The Space' [how felicitous] and we were guided by the blinking signals of a single torchlight. Otherwise, we were walking into a void of complete darkness.
The music starts and it is subtle. Surrounded by glass cabinets and a jar, we filled the empty spaces. Soon, it was we that surrounded the subjects. The specimens.
One by one, each solitary and isolated figure begins to move. Not to the music, but to their own rhythm. They breathe and then they are still. As a claustrophobic, I was already uneasy staring at their restricted cases.
It was amazing and incredibly esoteric. In a split second, the music and lights would pulsate simultaneously, and that flicker of movement would imprint into the darkness before you. The whole performance really brought to the surface ideas of social conformity and anonymity. I felt like the performers were representative of every one of the 7 billion people on this rotating rock. I was so moved by the piece that I wanted to watch it over and over again.
For anyone who's reading, I strongly recommend you take an hour out of your life to be apart of something truly magnificent. Look out for the Clod Ensemble's Under Glass and many other performances.
Jamie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton
Comments