After researching solo artist Laurie Anderson, an experimental performance artist, composer and film director who also plays experimental musical instruments and sings, I was inspired by her integration.

Habeas Corpus, is a piece “fusing storytelling and technology, creating an installation and performance piece that examines lost identity, memory, and the resiliency of the human body and spirit” (LaurieAnderson.com, 2007). The use of lighting here really inspired me, it is eye catching and creates a magic spectacle that catches the audiences attention. The piece is focussed on the life of Mohammed el Gharani who was one of the youngest prisoners sent to Guantànamo Bay prison camp in 2002 at 14 years old. The use of sound, projection and lighting to tell these events really interest me and I want the audience to walk in the space of my solo performance and be transported into another world- my world. I was laying in bed the other night and plugged in a light I have, when you take the top off it projects red light onto the ceiling and fills the room up. I immediately thought of Habeas Corpus and thought that I could use this lighting effect in my piece- the red lights deflecting looked like blood vessels- the body is filled with vessels and of course everyday I have to pierce my skin and squeeze out blood to test my blood glucose levels. I like the idea of filling the studio up with these vessels whilst a recording is playing- possibly the public’s views on what they think type one diabetes is, so it will set up the atmosphere for the rest of my performance. I also like the idea of filling the room with objects such as sugar cubes- like the hanging apples image- this would be interesting but I then thought about the meaning behind it and actually diabetes is about carb counting not sugar. therefore to fill the room with sugar cubes would miss lead the audience. I want them to know the ins and outs, the facts, symptoms and challenges I face.

I also liked Laurie Anderson’s use of shadows and projections in her music video “O, Superman”. The idea of light and projections covering the body I find really visually interesting and also quote powerful. If the piece is about me and the projections represent a part of me, then fusing elements together/ overlapping them, literally projecting on my skin, could work. This also reminds me of ‘The man whose memories fell out’ created by Fill in The Blank Theatre Company 2015 at the Lincoln performing Arts Centre. They used projections and I was visually moved by this piece as the images represented what was going on inside the man’s memory, which no one understands the same with diabetes no one really understands what it’s like to have it or what goes on inside my body. It is a non-physical disability and therefore the uses of images can help me reflect what my brain goes through as well as my pancreas.

These first two images are Fill in The Blank preforming, here you can see the vibrant colours and effect of feeling trapped by the projection on top of the performers’ body. The third image is of blood cells, a diabetic’s insides perform differently to a ‘normal’ person’s body as explained in the fourth image. Again, the use of red vessels or cells filling the room is a key idea of mine. Sometimes it is hard to communicate verbally, many people with disabilities or anxiety can experience this too and so by making my piece visually interesting and stimulating I hope it will impact a wider audience. To me it is important that students my age understand what I go through as they may have other friends at uni who may have diabetes and the amount of people who don’t have a clear understanding is shocking. What would you do if you saw a diabetic person collapsed on the floor? But also there may be young children who have just developed diabetes and I hope that my piece could resonate with them and let them know that yes we have to face an awful lot, but we can still live and make the most of our lives- even perform and get a degree!

Therefore, simple visuals will play an important role in my piece too as I don’t want to confuse audience members. they need to come away with a clear understanding of type one diabetes. What I show visually or audibly can be reinstated by words or images on screens.

 (Fill in The Blank, 2015)