Moments

Moments

It's often been noted that I think too much however the upside is that after Byzantine routes and mind threatening gymnastics I sometimes arrive at simple conclusions whose foundations are unusually deep as a consequence of the journey taken.

One of the more profound conclusions I've stumbled onto is the awesomeness and ethereal beauty that surrounds the production of 'moments' in the context of my chosen vocation as a street performer.

A 'moment' as defined here is an instance where within the context of a performance a unique interaction takes place and both the performer/s and the audience are aware that something unique and creative is unfolding before them.

'Moments' can be prefabricated and counterfeited and often are and can work very well for an audience but by definition lack that mutual frission where all concerned step quite consciously into the moment and it's unfolding delight.

Theatre mainly involves the composite of produced and in most cases polished instances which create narrative moments for the audience. The production of a rehearsed one way transaction.

Street theatre in many cases employs the same mode and now that street theatre festivals have blossomed during the last 20 odd years there are many acts that are essentially displays. Acts that work just as well on stage as they do in improvised public spaces. For better or worse they are prefabricated products which is not to say they're lacking quality, the best are inspiring, spectacular, funny, etc. What they have in common is that their content is pre prescribed. They may produce moments but themselves do not contain any by the definition employed here. The moments they produce are devices rather than instances.

The type of street performer of most interest to me is one who creates a sparse structure that they depart from at will as they go fishing for moments. They are a subset on the spectrum however they tend to create consistently unique situations within their performance, either by branching off with some impulse that forms itself on the fly or by integrating some member of the public into the performance which brings with it a component of the unknown.

Most marketing for street performers or festivals associated with them focus almost reflexively on moments. I say reflexively because I have yet to see a festival focus on moments as the focal point of their marketing. Staged shots, produced visual impacts belie the bedrock foundation of advertising that is found in such abundance in street performance. 'Moments'

I see this as an opportunity, media has come a long way in the last few years.