Critical Analysis: A Case Study

The following post is an essay assignment for the third module of the inaugural DOCH online research course into contemporary circus.

The task was to review this performance by taking notes and, afterwards, observing which of those notes fell into the categories of ‘description’, ‘interpretation’, and ‘judgement’ before compiling the review.

Mothlight – Full Show from Skye Gellmann on Vimeo.

As I write a lot of reviews, I chose to focus instead on the analysis of my observations…

As I made my notes while watching the video clip for this assignment, I became very aware that a number of my descriptions and judgements were explicitly about the presentational form; the medium of recorded film and the choices made in the final edit create a different impression than experiencing the live performance could have done. Any review I were to write could only be of the video, and not of the performance itself.

Later, as I began to separate and categorise my notes, I quickly found that I had to add another additional category – that of ‘interpretive description’. Over a quarter of my total descriptive phrases use metaphor and simile, recreating what I saw in a way that seemed to make sense to me as I was watching. For example, less than half a minute into the video, I wrote ‘cocoon and webbing’, equating a lump of clingfilm-type wrap that hung suspended from the ceiling amongst other criss-crossing strands of the material to an organic scene that it reminded me of. I was describing what I saw, but in a non-literal (interpretive) manner.

Before I had even categorised the first ten of my noted phrases, I realised that I was going to have to add yet another distinction. This time, for thoughts that were reflective on my own response to what I was watching. I wondered why I had assumed the figure inside the ‘chrysalis’ was a woman before seeing her fully emerged (on further consideration, probably because I see a higher proportion of female than male aerial performers, particularly in these type of shapes). I noticed that I was thinking about how easy it might be for the performer to make the wrong tear in her wrappings and deposit herself unintentionally on the floor. I made personal associations between what I was seeing and past experiences.

This is the usual note-taking practise that I follow when watching live performance, and all this helps to create my overall impression of a show. As is often the case, I found myself ruminating further upon what I had seen hours later, and additional notes were added – in this case, a consideration of the title’s meaning, which was informed by the other notes I had made and reread over the course of the show.

Judgement notes were mostly commenting on particular sections of the work that I especially enjoyed or felt were not fully thought through. In reading back, it’s also clear that there were places that an initial impression as noted became tempered later, as I began to see threads of coherence that tied elements together when seen as an overall presentation.

I have never tried to analyse my notes in this way before, so it was interesting to see that approximately 50% of my scribbled phrases were Description (or Interpretive Description). I’m also aware, however, that much of my analysis usually comes after the event, from thinking about the production as a whole (reading back my notes in their entirety also helps give an encapsulated record, rather than the series of individual moments that provoked them).

The productions that engage me the most tend to be those which provoke plenty of Interpretation and, more importantly, Reflection. I wonder if the high ratio of Description here correlates with the fact that I did not much enjoy watching this video? I would be very interested in running similar analyses of my notes in future to allow me to think more fully about my critical practice.

Description x 30 Interpretation x 12 Interpretive description x 12 Judgement x 10 Video form description/judgement x 12 Reflection x 11

Cellophane/hair? Amber light through
Dark. Lamps.
Cocoon and webbing. Cellophane wrap looks sticky, glinting, organic.
Audience move around room.
Hard to get scale till audience member moves. This is a human body in the hanging chrysalis
No sound, other than the electric static of camcorder

A hand emerges. The other hand. Both. A head
I had thought it was a woman, why?
Puts head in and out of wrap again. Seems oblivious to crowd, no time pressure. peels away layers to free more movement. Shreds fall to the floor. I start thinking that a wrong tear could make her fall.
A cut. Now she’s out. The cut is annoying. Necessitated by the shifting crowds, but makes another big difference to live view.
One hand touches the floor, softly stroking. Investigative.
She wears black strappy vest and shorts. She finds the light, and moves it, holding wire to explore. But not really exploring? Enters labyrinth of stretched membrane material.
I can’t pick my viewpoints like I could if I were there. 🙁
She has found another body, wrapped. This one is more like a victim, a spiders lunch, than a birth sack. (The hug when she meets body makes it seem poignant too.) but she climbs and stands on top. Maybe there is no emotional connection.
I enjoy the tension of wrap holding base at a forward tilting angle. Makes her stand on shoulders more interesting, if unprovoked.
Would like to see more testing of the stretch before she started to unwrap him, arms first.
Enlisting aud help, with head still enclosed and umbilical cord firmly attached round shoulders, they try to pull him free.
She swings on tether. But doesn’t seem invested. Why is she doing this. Climbs up and walks along.
Moment of transition into angry writhing man is too swift to notice with bodies in way.
One advantage of recording! (being able to rewind and watch moments again)
Yep. No clear logic to why he goes mental, just that they planned it to go there for good dynamics and to freak out audience holding him.
Some martial arts style tricking, much writhing for a few seconds. Then she unwraps his face and he curls to sleep. Was there a real breathing issue? Interesting if so, maybe would have been able to tell live?
He unwraps. Also in black, leggings this time. Why do women reveal their legs so much more often then men in costuming choices? Here works as a balance of skin – his torso, her legs.
She takes his body and touches it. Seems too perfunctory to be an exploration. Checking he’s ok? Medical. Reminds me of posture exercises at drama school!
She collects lamp and takes him by hands. She appears to lead, then he does. They are doing this together.  They take half-laps around the room and back, turning in unison.
Nice shadows grow and shrink on wall as they walk.
Now it changes so he walks along wall, connected via shoulders.
Another viewpoint, where the cocoon strands are more prominent, he walks on the ceiling strands. Both face forwards, his shoulder on hers. He feels her head with his hands, and the strings of cellophane with his feet. They separate.
I get no emotion.
There is a ball now. He sees what he can do with it, inverted as he is against a wall. Are the audience kicking it to him? Or one of the company? That makes a difference. She comes back, lifts him again in that shoulder stance. Is this work in progress? Durational installation? Or what?
Now it goes silent. Cuts to a dark place. Camera looks through strands. Purplish light glints on edges of body and web.
What was the live transition? Vid misses so much 🙁 I’m totally bored now. Yeah, they’ve found some cool things to do with this cellophane. Why? What do they want their aud to get from exp? She is lying on another ball. He is walking over her. Tension of her body very clear in this shot. They look fucking bored too though. He rolls her. But not really. He’s moving her shoulders, but she is stepping as if he weren’t there. A thick band of cellophane is used to bounce her body from side to his hands. Now it seems the movement is allowed to be organic. Nice when they become mini newtons cradle back and forth in v of wrap 🙂 I see moves evolve into glimpses of fight, then of jive dance. Camera angle changes and now seems like parallel bands rather than a v? Slows back to start but now him bouncing her pushing. My fave sequence. Again a fleeting reminder pops into my head that band could tear and gravity would cause a fall. Now he is pressing her face. Firm. Like a vet. Or a car mechanic. Lots of confusion for me between organic/robotic human/inhuman Ends. As a whole… Woman, life, frees man, ends up subjugated? But that’s only final image. They both treat each other as objects, and not objects that have a clear relational place in their lives.

Much later… the title…

moths, there was no imagery or movement that I would associate with moths. Light attracts moths to it. The light here didn’t appear to have that capacity. Is that instead the man, who attracted the woman to him?

I also decided it would be interesting to see what sense of the video could be gained from each note category…

Amber light through

Dark. Lamps. 

Audience move around room.

No sound, other than the electric static of camcorder

A hand emerges. The other hand. Both. A head

Puts head in and out of wrap again.

peels away layers to free more movement. Shreds fall to the floor.

Now she’s out.

One hand touches the floor, softly stroking. 

She wears black strappy vest and shorts. 

Enters labyrinth of stretched membrane material.

She has found another body, wrapped.

but she climbs and stands on top.

arms first.

She swings on tether.

Climbs up and walks along. 

Some martial arts style tricking, much writhing for a few seconds. 

He unwraps. Also in black, leggings this time.

She takes his body and touches it. 

She collects lamp and takes him by hand. She appears to lead, then he does. They are doing this together.  They take half-laps around the room and back, turning in unison.

Now it changes so he walks along wall, connected via shoulders.

he walks on the ceiling strands. Both face forwards, his shoulder on hers. He feels her head with his hands, and the strings of cellophane with his feet. They separate.

There is a ball now. 

She comes back, lifts him again in that shoulder stance. 

Purplish light glints on edges of body and web.

She is lying on another ball. He is walking over her. 

He rolls her.

He’s moving her shoulders, but she is stepping as if he weren’t there. A thick band of cellophane is used to bounce her body from side to his hands. Now it seems the movement is allowed to be organic.

Slows back to start but now him bouncing her pushing.

Now he is pressing her face.

Ends.

 

Investigative

But not really exploring?

This one is more like a victim, a spiders lunch, than a birth sack.

Maybe there is no emotional connection.

But doesn’t seem invested.

Seems too perfunctory to be an exploration. Checking he’s ok? Medical.

I get no emotion.

Lots of confusion for me between organic/robotic human/inhuman

As a whole… Woman, life, frees man, ends up subjugated? But that’s only final image. They both treat each other as objects, and not objects that have a clear relational place in their lives.

moths, there was no imagery or movement that I would associate with moths. Light attracts moths to it. The light here didn’t appear to have that capacity. Is that instead the man, who attracted the woman to him?

 

Cellophane/hair?

Coccoon and webbing. Cellophane wrap looks sticky, glinting, organic.

This is a human body in the hanging chrysalis

Seems oblivious to crowd, no time pressure.

She finds the light, and moves it holding wire to explore.

(The hug when she meets body makes it seem poignant too.)

Enlisting aud help, with head still enclosed and umbilical cord firmly attached round shoulders, they try to pull him free. 

Moment of transition into angry writhing man is too swift to notice with bodies in way. 

Then she unwraps his face and he curls to sleep.

He sees what he can do with it, inverted as he is against a wall.

They look fucking bored too though.

I see moves evolve into glimpses of fight, then of jive dance.

Firm. Like a vet. Or a car mechanic.

 

Hard to get scale till audience member moves.

A cut.

The cut is annoying. Necessitated by the shifting crowds, but makes another big difference to live view.

I can’t pick my viewpoints like I could if I were there. 🙁

One advantage of recording! (being able to rewind and watch moments again)

Interesting if so, maybe would have been able to tell live?

Another viewpoint, where the cocoon strands are more prominent,

Are the audience kicking it to him? Or one of the company? That makes a difference. 

Now it goes silent. Cuts to a dark place. Camera looks through strands.

What was the live transition? Vid misses so much 🙁

Tension of her body very clear in this shot.

Camera angle changes and now seems like parallel bands rather than a v?

I had thought it was a woman, why?

I start thinking that a wrong tear could make her fall.

Why is she doing this. 

Was there a real breathing issue?

Why do women reveal their legs so much more often then men in costuming choices?

Reminds me of posture exercises at drama school!

Is this work in progress? Durational installation? Or what?

Again a fleeting reminder pops into my head that band could tear and gravity would cause a fall.

Much later… the title... 

I enjoy the tension of wrap holding base at a forward tilting angle. Makes her stand on shoulders more interesting, if unprovoked.

Would like to see more testing of the stretch before she started to unwrap him,

Yep. No clear logic to why he goes mental, just that they planned it to go there for good dynamics and to freak out audience holding him.

Here works as a balance of skin – his torso, her legs.

Nice shadows grow and shrink on wall as they walk.

I’m totally bored now. Yeah, they’ve found some cool things to do with this cellophane. Why? What do they want their aud to get from exp?

But not really.

Nice when they become mini-newtons cradle back and forth in v of wrap 🙂

My fave sequence.