Thursday, February 4, 2010

Swap






















thanks to Nicki Klepper for the photos

A look at how we are defined by our things and what happens when we 'swap.' Quite literally, we step into one another's shoes.


Swap from brighid Connors on Vimeo


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3 comments:

  1. Kelsey DittmarFebruary 5, 2010 at 5:16 AM

    The piece I would like to talk about was entitled, "Swap". At the start of the piece I was so sure that we were about to see some nudity. There was a palpable tension when they began to take off their shoes which I was convinced would lead to full-nudity. Though, I wasn't really that surprised that it didn't.
    I was most entranced in the piece when they would dress each other. It was like I was viewing all these intimate little moments, the sound of the scarf swishing as one girl delicately wrapped it around the other's neck. It was as if they were sisters playing dress-up in each other's clothing. It reminded me of my sister's borrowing my clothes to make themselves feel more like me.
    I think the piece really emphasized how much clothing is a part of our identity. When they swapped clothing they also swapped identities as they walked off stage imitating each other's personalities.
    I felt the piece had a concrete ending but the beginning was a little vague. I remember the one group member saying that setting up their clothes was NOT part of the piece. For me it felt like it WAS a part of the piece as there was a very purposeful way that the girls folded their clothing and gently lay it to rest on the ground. It was meticulous and deliberate and I think it added to the piece for me.
    I think nudity would have made the piece even more intimate, not in a sexual way but in the way that sister's are used to seeing each other naked. I thought it would have been thought-provoking if they swapped intimate pieces of clothing like bras, and socks, and underwear. I am not trying to come off as a creep and I understand that it was presumably their first performance piece, but I just think it would have pushed the piece further.

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  2. NickiFebruary 5, 2010 at 11:09 AM

    This piece, "Swap", was intriguing and interesting to the audience. It begin with a "blank canvas" on each of the performers and finished with swapped exterior personalities. I felt that the white shirts and blue jeans was a good way to begin a class-based performance. I do agree with Kelsey in saying that the piece would be more interesting and give a better notion of a blank canvas if the performers were nude, but I feel as if it would have made the audience feel uncomfortable in this setting. As for the performance itself, I feel that the performance had personality and never had a dull moment. Even though the performers were silent as they swapped clothing, it seemed as if their personalities radiated through as they dressed each other. For example, when Helene put her flannel on Brida she flicked the should as if to say "rock it". It added a certain humor to the piece and gave the audience a sense that Helene was the owner of the outfit she was giving to Brida. Probably another of my favorite parts of the performance was the exit. As the performers exited off the "stage" they each took on the personality of the other one. Helene walked like Brida and Brida walked out like Helene. It was a perfect way to end.

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  3. Kaitlyn GilhamFebruary 9, 2010 at 11:09 AM

    In the performance “swap” the performers dressed in each other’s cloths as if they were swapping who they were. To an audience of peers this performance was very successful, yet I wonder that if this was preformed in front of a group of strangers if it would have the same effect. I believe that to get the point across better the performers should have come out completely dressed in their own cloths and then proceeded to swap of off their own body and on to the others, taking the setting the cloths out on the floor out of the performance completely. I think that by doing that the audience would have seen a more dramatic transformation as the performers attempt to exchange their identities.

    Overall the performance was successful and the part that really brought the piece together for me was the actual personality switch at the end of the performance. I think that the performance explained very well how the things that we have make up the image of who we are to the outside world. I found the piece very meaningful as well as enjoyable.

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