Reaction to Jeremy Wade: there is no end to more

I had mixed reactions about Jeremy wade’s production there is no end to more. A big part of my mixed reactions were based on my two experiences, the actual performance and the question and answers after the performance.

My reaction after hearing the Q&A:

My initial response to Wade’s performance, which I wrote down during the actual performance, was “I feel like I am in an uncomfortable moment of tripping while doing coke with a questionable prostitute.” Now, that might make a pretty bleak description of Wade’s show however, my reaction did change. The thing that made me dislike the performance initially was the interpretative dancing. I found that when I closed my eyes and did not have to watch the movements and rather just listen to the free flow text playing in the background I actually enjoyed the experience. After the opening sequence was over I actually began to like the performance. I thought there was an interesting message being presented about world and social issues during sequences such as when the varying voices were discussing topics like government, family, diversity, community and puberty. Besides the meaning of the piece I liked the overall distortion of the piece. I thought Wade did a good job in creating a type of blur between the cuteness factor of kuwaii, which is prominent in Japan, and grotesqueness. He did this through successful variation in text, dance, sound and light display. The last sequence in his performance in which a girl was saying how she was shrinking, was successful as a conclusion. I felt that it related perfectly to the topics which Wade presented in his piece, where as a society we look at these varying topics as a sort of gossip never really confronting or dealing with them rather just discussing them to the point that the relevance they did have is seizes to exist. Though, I walked away from this performance a little skeptical as to what I had just seen, I can appreciate the time and effort it took to create this performance.

My reaction without hearing the Q&A:

What the hell did I just see? I am extremely happy that the two women standing in front of me in line offered to give me a free ticket. I can appreciate artists for the amount of time they put into creating something but at times you just have to question what was actually made. Yes, the sound distortion and lighting variation, as well as the anima sequences were successful but the other visual displays were lacking. I feel that even myself with the rudimentary knowledge I have in multimedia arts could have created some of the sequences Wade created such as when the girls were discussing various social topics. The main quality the performance had was that it was comical, which if it wasn’t for that I feel it would have been some what unbearable. Based off of performances like this I will often question art. What is it we are creating? Have we pushed art too far in hopes of grasping onto something that will retain art to previous movements and glory.

I have a hard time answering the question of whether wade employed new media in his performance because I have very rudimentary knowledge in terms of what is and isn’t considered new media. Overall, I liked the visual displays in the performance in terms of the sound distortion, lighting variation and the anima sequences. I feel that these parts of the performance were done effectively especially in correlation to Wade’s idea of blurring the idea of kuwaii and grotesqueness.

I walked away from this performance realizing I might not want to ever hear an artist give a Q&A. I couldn’t help but wonder if he created the piece and then just hoped the stuff he said during the Q&A would allow the viewers to believe that they had experienced a type of art with some relevant meaning. For future performances, if I have an initial reaction of worthlessness I don’t believe I will stick around for the Q&A because I feel that it only “pushed” me toward a fake understanding of what had just occurred.