Today with Richard we did an exercise in absence, in not being there. Using the chair game developed by Richard, he instructed us in what to do, the rules and we carried them out. A chair was placed in the space, facing the group who sat in a semi-circle.
The first instruction was to walk up and sit on the chair and “do nothing”.
The second instruction was to walk up and sit on the chair and “not be there”.
We were then all given a postcard with a picture on it. The instruction was to somehow use something of that picture when you walked into the space, and do this in relation to the chair.
This was repeated with a new postcard and its picture.
This was furthered by the introduction of two more chairs. The instruction this time being that there always had to be one person in the space.
And again with the addition of another three chairs mirroring or repeating the original three. The action was to echo the repeating of the chairs, with people echoing something of another person in relation to specific chairs (and often unspecific).
What all of this brought about was the notion of acting and non action as Richard discussed throughout. The idea of understanding absence in order to better understand presence.
- Sinead Cormack
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