The Grandstand took us to new heights this week… literally!
Having spent the morning using ourselves to fill neglected ‘spaces’ within the grounds, we came across a rusty, metal fence missing about six of its bars. A fallen down tree had, by chance, placed itself within the gap, almost attempting to fill the void – much like those who had refurbished the Grandstand into a community centre. Upon moving inside to continue our exploration, we found ourselves purposely looking for signs of decay and neglect within the refurbishment, “even when the scene of the crime is pristine we are forced to look at the dirt in the gaps” (Pearson, 2001, 62). We found ourselves (accidently) delving further into this multifaceted concept of ‘the fallen’ as a result:
We first attempted to photograph a piece of paper falling to the ground. We then discovered a small, high ledge in what seemed to be a neglected bathroom. After a group struggle to get me onto the filthy, black ledge, I found myself fearing I may fall. However, the only way down was to ‘fall’ until the group could catch me.

As Tuan states, “architectural space reveals and instructs” (1997, 114), therefore our performance became a combination of our experiences, physically demonstrating the risk of a ‘fall’, whether it be the definitive fall of a horse in a race, the fear of a soldier falling at war, or merely the fall of a building that was once imperative to a community.

References:

Pearson, M. and Shanks, M. (2001)Theatre Archaeology. London:Routledge.

Govan, E. Nicholson, H. and Normingtonm, K.(2007) Making a Performance. Coxon:Routledge.