DAY 6 — COMPASSION, SECOND CHANCES & OBJECT RIVER

PROTOCOL — DAY 6

SOURCE DATE AS RECORDED

28 May 2025

SOURCE LIMIT

The protocol likely intended 28 April 2025. Preserve the raw source date.

POST-PERFORMANCE SHAME HANGOVER

Stacy reflected on discomfort after an event involving showing up, showing off and visible exposure. The protocol uses SHAME HANGOVER and references Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.

PROVENANCE: ARTIST DISCOURSE

COMPASSION

The group discussed “Can you be with my suffering?” Compassion was approached through presence, relation and remaining with difficulty, not primarily solving, explaining, correcting or removing another person’s experience.

CONTROL AND LOVE

“Shit happens — you cannot be in control and in love at the same time.” Connected to Stacy’s account of caring for her mother. Treat as ARTIST DISCOURSE, not universal psychological fact.

TIREDNESS

The group discussed the gap between the imperfect state one is actually in and an imagined ideal condition for making art. Focusing only on what is missing may intensify exhaustion, frustration and self-judgement. Tiredness may become material rather than a reason work cannot begin.

PROVENANCE: ARTIST DISCOURSE / PROTOCOL INTERPRETATION

FAME TRAILERS / THE NUMBER

After watching old and new trailers for Fame, participants created ninety-second performances based on A NUMBER: music, dance, lighting, tricks, spectacle, glamour, homage or a wow moment. The task connected FAME and SHAME.

SECOND CHANCES

A second chance allowed another response, form, timing or relation; it did not mean correcting the first version into perfection. The protocol describes Stacy responding to a participant’s material through a comic performance. “Even in my perversity I don’t feel alone.” The protocol presents this as response to human feeling.

PROVENANCE: WORKSHOP PRACTICE / ARTIST DISCOURSE

OBJECT RIVER

Small groups began with three objects. One performer responded while others intervened, producing tableaux, actions and object relations. In the full group, objects were placed on the shore; one person entered at a time, two objects eventually made contact, no words were used and music could be changed from outside. Rules loosened, moving from awkwardness toward chaos, mess and magic. The stated lesson was CONNECTION AND RESPONSE.

BIG KAHUNA

Introduced for the following day as the biggest wave, most important thing or highest-stakes piece; permission was given to exceed the ninety-second limit.

PROVENANCE: WORKSHOP PRACTICE