by Laura Nanni
A group performance experienced in the subway that playfully interrupted, underscored and poked fun at the mundane morning commute.
The subway, as a place of arrival and departure, of waiting, of routine, of constant movement and as a space with gaps in between, interested me as a setting to respond to, infiltrate and animate.
I devised a group performance to be repeated along The Bloor-Danforth subway line in Toronto from 7:30am-9:30am (during rush hour) for 3 days, so that it could potentially be witnessed by the same commuters multiple times at the start of their day.
When actions were performed in groups, seven performers were spaced out evenly across a subway platform, with the actions continuing across three stations. In all cases the work was designed to be experienced by viewers from the train, the platform and even security cameras.
Repetitive actions and choreography was created around morning rituals, but made strange through repetition and the use of matching props. The actions purposefully highlighted or juxtaposed the regular activities of subway passengers in a playful way from repetitive yawning, slow and exaggerated coffee cup drinking to striking poses with empty word balloons and in ‘superman pose’ in sync with the movement of the train. For example:
-Between the stations of Kipling and Spadina, performers held poses with empty word balloons as passengers got on and off the subway. The poses were held until the train fully left the station. In some instances, passengers were interested in engaging in dialogue around this intervention, including the TTC conductors, who on our last day of performance, as they had become accustomed to seeing us, waved and tooted the train horn when they passed.
-A repetitive action was created around reading the newspaper. The cover of the newspaper was painted blue. With the painting becoming more opaque, deeper in colour and covering more surface area from one platform to the next.
-A longer movement sequence sought to highlight and juxtapose the activity of the often sleepy and sluggish morning commuters. The two-minute set of actions began with yawning as the next train approached the station and ended with a ‘superman’ pose as the train exited the station. Each time, the yawning of the performers set off a domino effect with commuters on the platform and on the train.
Performed March, 2011 along the Bloor-Danforth subway line in Toronto.
Concept and Direction by Laura Nanni.
Performed by Annie Onyi Cheung, Sky-Fairchild Waller, David Frankovich Alicia Grant, Melissa Jokaim, Alexander Marques, Leora Morris, Laura Nanni, Tara Ostiguy, Tanya Pillay, Simon Rabyniuk, Cara Spooner, Bojana Videkanic and Helene Vosters.
Production Management by Shannon Cochrane and Elenna Mosoff.
Website documentation by Henry Chan.
Additional documentation by Cole J. Alvis, Jordan Tannahill and Evan Vipond.
Made possible with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
