Door obsession

1. Reconstruction of Doors, 1997, Jane and Louise Wilson

2. Double Doors, 1997, Jane and Louise Wilson

3. Marcel Duchamp's door, 1927

4, 5, 6. Powerless Structures, 2001, Elmgreen & Dragset

Some of these doors make me feel claustraphobic and others are quite intriguing -- especially Marcel Duchamp's door. I like the fact that these images provoke a reaction in me. Although these pieces are installation art, I feel they could be inspiration for a design project too. I actually think they fit in with my project about enticement as doors naturally welcome/invite you into a space. But of course, in the case of Powerless Structures by Elmgreen & Dragset they are the total opposite of what a door should be -- totally useless! I think instinctively we want to open a door as we're intrigued to see what's on the other side, and these doors fight against that curiosity. I also feel that the white doors look very clinical, which conjures up mental images of hospitals making them even less inviting.

How do these doors make you feel?

Dream Think Speak

Brighton based company Dream Think Speak create live performances in a range of conventional and non-conventional theatrical settings. Each piece is re-created and re-designed in response to a particular site's architectural features. From looking at their website, one production that appeals to me is Don't Look Back.

Image from Dream Think Speak

Here's an excerpt from their website:

"Don't Look Back is a journey through the rooms, corridors, hallways and stairwells of specially chosen sites inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

As you wander through the rooms and corridors of each atmospheric interior, you will experience an accumulation of sounds, shadows, whispers, modelled landscapes, musical fragments and fleeting film images, conveying a heightened, dreamlike state that lingers long in the subconscious. The relentless collision and conjunction of past, present and future creates a sense of elusiveness and transience as if we are running after something that repeatedly evades us, or slips through our fingers as we seem to have it in our grasp."

What appeals to me is the site-specific nature of the productions. With conventional theatre, the set is transported from one location to another and the performance is replicated nearly identically. In contrast, Dream Think Speak embrace the new setting and build this into their performance which I think is so exciting. This is definitely the kind of thing that you need to physically experience to appreciate, but I found these images interesting as they seem to capture a certain uneasy atmosphere. I'd definitely like to see one of their upcoming performances. It will be a totally new experience for me.


Images from Dream Think Speak