Burt O. States' "The World on Stage"

 At the beginning of this essay we are asked to consider the ways in which one may generally  approach, "signs."

 

 

 Semiotic Approach:

 

 

 --What is happening on stage? Are these props placed here reason - or are they just for shits and giggles?  The article opens by suggesting that things are deliberately placed on stage for "artistic purposes"  and are considered 'signs'. It is a personal choice by the designers created to make one consider what it's purpose is within the design. These signs possess "iconic identity" in other words "it is, what it is." Take it or leave it.

 

 

Phenomenologic Approach:

 

--Signs or certain objects have a, "life cycle, achieve their vitality--and in turn the vitality of theater--not simply by signifying the world but by being of it."

 

 

Here the power of signs is put nicely by  Peter Handke (Kaspar and Other Plays):

 

"In the theater light is brightness pretending to be other brightness, a chair is a chair pretending to be another chair, and so on."

 

 

Phenomonologic signs are a matter of perspective. Look at the chair--what does it possess? A history? Where was it made? What is it made of? What does it mean to the person using it?

 

 

Ideas from the Author (Burt O. States):

 

 

--Opening with a quote from Victor Shklovsky,

 

"Art is a way of experiencing the artfulness of an object; the object is not important."

 

--He suggests that this stems from the phenomenological approach in that we are removing an objects iconic identity and seeing things from a fresh and individual perspective.

 

--States is also heavy on Shklovky's idea that, "art is a way of bringing us  home via an 'unfamiliar' route".

 

--"Phenomenological philosophy is a continual desymbolization of the world." --"It is the disease that interests the phenomonologist not the germ that causes it or the stages of its progress."  (see pg. 24 footnote 10)

 

--SIGN vs. IMAGE

 

Here's one of our collages. More to come soon.

"Behind the Screen Door" Analysis

Ÿ  Symbolism of the "door/doorway"

- Open = flow of the story continues/progresses

- Closed = all thought and progression comes to a stop

Ÿ  Door sets up a rhythm: Regularizes action and sets up expectations.

Ÿ  Represents:

- Openness and flow of information

- "Newness": new thought, new ideas, new experiences.

Ÿ  Implications:

- Practicality: changes to structure and rhythm

- Simple and innocuous, but brings about profound metaphoric, symbolic, philosophical developments.

- “There are things known and unknown, and between are the doors” - Jim Morrison

Ÿ  August Strindberg’s A Dream Play: structured around a locked door

Ÿ  Ibsen’s A Doll House: based modern drama on the slamming a door

Ÿ  Symbolism of the door occurs countless times in religious stories/references.

Ÿ  Comedy and doors

- Aristophanes emerged after the intro of the door.

- Spatiotemporal relationships

Pamela Howard: "Directors and Designers is There a Different Direction" Analysis

-Creation according to the famous architect, Adolphie Appia meant the synthesis of light, space and performance which is achieved by someones own personal vision.

 

-In the twentith century the move from perfromance in the playhouse to a new space created a new type of theater, one that explored the elements of using the enivromnet as part of the scence.

 

-This move of space, changed the relationship between the designer and the director, where they would emerge to create a new product of vision and text.

 

-Just like any artist, it is often challenging to work to gether and see the same vision as one another. Picasso for example is regarded as one of the greatest artist that ever lived, however some people and other artist don’t care for his work at all. That is were personal vision of creation comes to a challenge for directors and designers because they must work together to ulimatly create the same vision.

 

-Phillip Prowse a director, was not that interested in design he explained, but rahter created around him a team of interprutors that could understand his visula vocaulary.

 

-Pointing to a different direction, designers become architects of space and the space itself becomes a major part of the production.

 

-A historian and thinker..Theodore Zeldin encourages theater designers to move away from the sterotypes and defentions and instead focus on making the indiviual creation imaginative and unique.

A Poet's Creed Analysis

This is what we interpreted from Borge's "A Poet's Creed":

• Each poet has their own creed
• Reading is more important than writing
• Language is music
• Everyone has a moment when they realize who they are
• Feeling is more important than thinking in poetry
• Metaphor is an essential element of literature
• A writer must make many mistakes before they can write well
• Prose is harder to write than verse
• Everyone is modern
• Being a writer means being true to your imagination
• Beauty is eternal
• The reader is an important part of literature
• Meaning is not important, only the experience of the reader