Mind-body and the tube...

My notion behind my first workshop was to be able to really understand the mind-body perception of space in the tube. After my journey around the underground, I was able to see that people became a ‘tube’ version of themselves, whereby they limited their desires and acted in such a closed off manner that they ignored all the opportunities the senses had to offer.

Ahead of time, I had asked my performers to notice 3 things about the way they routinely sit when on the tube. Aptly, we met on the tube on Thursday 23rd February. On the way to the studio we began to individually spectate the comings and goings on the tube, and tried and pick out common behaviours.  The second half of the tube journey, I wanted the performers to just sit in their comfortable position and just try and act as normal (as they can). I began to notice how they blended in to the aura of the ‘asleep’ tube...

On arriving at the studio we began to discuss what we noticed, they seemed to recognise similar happenings that I discussed in my previous blog (women holding their hands at their stomach, how the tube traveller positions themselves as to avoid eye contact...) We started to understand how men have a more open chest on the tube, where as women seem to invert their chest and cover their stomachs.

Into the studio, we did some tuning exercises, inspired by Lisa Nelsons ‘Tuning Scores’, Miranda Tufnell’s ‘Body, Space, Imange’ and Anne Bogart’s ‘Viewpoints’, here’s a snippet of what I did:

Firstly we lay down in a comfortable position, letting our body sink into the floor, releasing all the tension. We isolated the senses taking time to really hear, smell, taste and touch (no sight at this point – eyes closed). We started moving, letting the body be inspired and guided by the senses, taking time for each sense separately. I sped this up and slowed this down, really letting the body move instinctively to the sense.

Straight after that we did a Skinner Releasing exercise, [http://www.skinnerreleasing.com/] which works by 1 person standing with their eyes closed [A] whilst the other person brushes their body along lines of energy [B]. B stands perpendicular to the A, with their hands placed one on the stomach and one on the lower back, B brushes the body, going up the chest and down one arm, and carrying the flow of movement out into the space, this is repeated on the other arm and down the legs. This is a performance in itself, B is really moving around the energy of A, taking the energy out into the space. When this is finished, A opens their eyes and walks around the space. This exercise works to relax the body, and also really open the bodies energy into the space, creating an urge to move organically.

I then took this straight into a Viewpoint inspired exercise; as they walked around the space they then were directed to walk towards an object, marking or sight that caught their eye, and make their way over to that area in any way they desired. Did they feel the need to take time to slowly shift to that place, or did they feel the desire to run at it? We worked with different dynamics and levels as this exercise developed.

I then finished off the studio work with an adapted tuning scores exercise, which was based around the following instructions:

 ENTER Enter the frame

PAUSE Suspension in stillness

FIND find the first thing you see

OPEN / CLOSE Eyes open, eyes shut

NEXT Cut do something else

RESITUATE Change place or point of view

REVERSE Revisit the experience backward

SUSTAIN Sustain the present activity

EXIT Exit the frame

This saw the performers really becoming curious to the space around them, really being present in the exercise, pertaining to the space around them.

We then took the workshop into the tube, and immediately noticed the advanced nature of our presence on the tube; we all started to be aware of how much we have been ignoring and ‘blocking out’ on our daily travels, especially colours and sounds. There was a plethora of sounds, at different distances, that we had previously disregarded. The studio work had been able to give us a glimpse of how aware and curious we could be.

We then began to get comfortable in our ‘automatic’ tube position, being aware of the 3 things that we all found prominent in our bodies when on the tube. Feet, hands and back were part of most of our prominent ‘tube’ features; we discussed how we adapt our body for security, to shy away from the surroundings. Our bodies also work to appropriate, minimising our desires in order to stick to the status quo, e.g keeping our feet close to our bodies instead of spreading them out. We began to look at how these positions affect the rest of our body, physically, looking at the structure of the bones, what part of the body is stable compared to something that is freer. We also looked at how these positions affect our perceptions... because my head is down; my eye sight is compromised and restricted, is this also to fit to the status quo? How does this change my reactions, because I am more closed, how would I act if someone brushed me? How do I see myself in the space? How do I relate to others in the space?

We worked with improvisations to exaggerate the positions, isolating them and working with the whole body. I wanted to understand the ‘tube character’ that this position creates. Are you claiming a space? Are you hiding away? Really becoming aware of how the body encompasses these feelings. A lot of tube positions seem to be guarding the body against the fear the tube presents. Especially since 7/7, we have become even more insular, funnily enough we have not become more aware. Possibly we are living up the old saying ’ignorance is bliss’, if we forgot how horrible the concept of travelling underground is, we can get through it safely.

Therefore, this posed the question to me, if we are very nervous of other people, how can I attempt to wake up the city traveller without being perceived as threatening?

From this workshop I was able to see and be apart of really understanding what happens to the body on the tube, as we went from heightened senses, into a ‘tube you’. The exercises really invited us to experience the tube; however, it was very easy to slip into the comfortable/safe tube state once we started to do so. I wanted to explore the body-mind connection, and I think I am beginning to understand how the body guards and appropriates your character and desires for the tube, and with this it beings to restrict the way we perceive. With my body, my back becomes very curved, with my hands crossed on my stomach with my elbows on the arm rests, and my legs are always crossed. As I began to explore this, I noticed that I was claiming my space with my elbows and my knees directing outwards, but also hiding away with my hands on my stomach and my head bent over. I think this is a classic positioning on the tube, we don’t want confrontation but we also want a much of our own space as possible, and therefore we close off, not opening up our senses to look explore the space, as that could interrupt someone else...

I began to think about how the tube has limited offerings for the senses, there is a lot to hear, but there isn’t too much diversity of sights, and there isn’t much to smell other than other people. However, on London Bridge, the bodies acted in a similar way where their direction towards home was direct and strong, but there was a strict status quo. Diversely, London Bridge has a lot to offer for the senses, smells of the river and the central City, sight: high rises, Tower Bridge, the river, touch: the air on your skin, other people, weather...

Therefore, the next step seems to be to understand the change in London Bridge between rush hour and the afternoon, do both groups of people seem closed off? How can I create a workshop, similar to the tube to understand the ‘London Bridge’ traveller? Then, potentially, how can I create a performance in the space that really asks and invites the spectators to question their state in the city, and prospectively be more than a momentary manipulation of the sense...?

Bye.
M.J