ab in Anatum’s day 10 & 11

DAY 10

That day I was recovering from the previous whole day Tube experience and preparing afternoons workshop. Unfortunately (and actually quite unsurprisingly as well) no participants appeared.

It was understandable for me because I was offering a four hours workshop in a Sunday afternoon when most of the people have time but on the other hand they also want to rest. When writing a proposal for the event I did my best and was ready to present quite interesting experience, I think. On the other hand I don’t know almost anyone in London so maybe the invitation didn’t came to the right people.
But what can one do, right? 🙂

Below you can see that I was ready – empty space as well as the sweets and tea were anticipating people impatiently.

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DAY 11

The compensation came another day. Lee and I decided not to forget the Tube research so easily. We entered the Bank station an for approximately an hour we were practising systema, Russian martial art technique in which Lee is skilled a bit and is also able to hand over that knowledge (thank you Lee!).

So we were „punching“ each other, liying on each other, rolling on the ground and so on. One of the goals of my potential workshop was achieved – the Tube became ours playground.

People in the Tube are encouraged to „report anything unusual“ but apparently what we did was still quite usual because nobody – even the Tube employees – was interested in what we do.

By this 11th day I finished the most important and biggest part of my work in Anatum’s Abode. In the 11 days I was exploring possible approaches of how to understand the London megalopolis, I was taking pictures and writing notes about that research. I planned the workshop as one of the results of the work but it is not so importnat that the workshop didn’t happen. The Anatum’s Abode gave me unique, long enough possibility to work on the theme very close to me. I don’t regret that there is no final performance or exhibition (I presented continuously my research on the web and I aloso did one performance, had a lecture (see my next post) and am going to have another performance in Thursday so I deffinitely leave some traces behind in Anatum’s).

It is difficult to sum up what I realized when exploring the Anatum’s Abode in the first days and later on when walking, cycling, busing and tubing the City. I would say that it is important to use all of the differnet approaches how to get familiar with the city. Only one is deffinitely not enough because than you’re missing something.
But the most important thing I found is that observing a city is not enough. Minimally as much important if not more is to meet a people living there. Without a people any city would be – partially – just empty, scary, boring space.

I hope this research of mine will continue in my master program in theatre I’m about to begin next year in the Theatre Faculty of AMU, Prague, Czech Republic. It is nice to know that there is already some work done from which I can build my next research.

report anything

ab in Anatum’s day 8

DAY 8

If it is possible to name bus travel as a „backround for thoughts“, we might call underground as „a space for meditation“. In a way that a passenger is so de-attached from the real world, from the „real city“ that one might start slightly loose sense for the reality. Or to perceive it in some differnet mode.
Under the ground there is different world, different rules works there.

I have a big mission in front of me – I am going to spend the whole day from the opening hours till closing in the Tube/Overground/DLR tomorrow – so I rather won’t continue with explanations of my todays explorations and go sleep to have enough strenght. And anyway after tomorrows exploration I will be able to bring much richer informations. …

There is just one small thought which I would like to share now – and that is the question of a documentation. I was thinking if I should take my camera to the metro tomorrow or no and after meeting this huge meat alien with whom I shared a Tube today I decided that I have to take a camera for sure.

meat

The Tube – OPEN CALL & workshop | 21st and 22nd February

WORKSHOP
Sun 22nd FEB 3pm-7pm

THE TUBE.
11 lines.
270 stations.
1.265 billions passengers/year

The workshop at SUN 22nd takes place inside of the Tube and its goal is to offer new perception of how to think about the (London) Underground. Participants will do few simple exercises and after that spend some time inside of the Tube’s Zone 1. There will be an important rule: Once you enter the Tube you are not allowed to leave.
What new observations it brings, what the Tube phenomenon actually is about, does it serve to the citizens or no … ? Let’s make the Tube to be our playground!

Workshop is lead by performance artist AntonĂ­n Brinda, current resident in Anatum’s Abode. It will be based on his previous research done in Prague, Czech Republic, as well as on his actual explorations in Abode.

There is no fee but you will need a ticket for the Tube. Meeting point is Anatum’s Abode from where participants will continue via Limehouse DLR into the Zone.

You are more than welcomed!

OPEN CALL
Sat 21 st FEB, 5am – 12pm

There also is a possibility of getting into more tougher version of the workshop at SAT 21st. Antonín is going to spent the whole day (from opening till closing) inside of the Tube and other London public transport system. The same experiment was already executed in Prague. During the day several small performance pieces were created and presented inside of the Prague underground.

If there are some long duration performance artists or other crazy people who would like to join (even if for shorter period of time), please write to “a.brinda@seznam.cz” There is a a lot of possibilities how this research could happen, depends just on the communication between us!

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