Week 5 - Stimuli




In Lesson 5, we started to look at our stimuli and analyse them to help us come to a decision which stimuli we would use for our solo. We went into pairs and made notes on each of the 8 photos, commenting on different ideas and themes shown in the photo and different ways they could be interpreted.

 The stimuli that interested me the most was the DNA photo. This interested me as shows the double helix, A human made up of lots of different structures and fade out into structures of DNA molecules linked. I liked this because you could link it to the idea of degenerate diseases or genetic diseases, or the idea of DNA breaking down due to the way the photo fades out. Also coming from a scientific background, I could use my understanding of DNA replication and structure to influence my choreography and motifs. For example, the structure of the DNA double helix is a spiral so that could influence circular movements and turns but the two DNA strands are reversed in order which could imply the use of retrograde within the piece. Furthermore, DNA is replicated by semi-conservative replication in which you start with the original DNA and end up with half the original and half new DNA. I could use this by having an original motif then adapting it to have half of the original motif and half a new motif.



Another stimulus that interested me was the photo of a man/boy with his face blank and erased. This one caught my attention as there could be many interpretations of it. For example, you could link it to mental health problems due to his empty head or face which could suggest no feelings or emotions, or you could link it to the idea of having no identity as he has no features on his face as it has been left blank. The photo could also be linked to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia as those conditions often change people mentally and the loss of memories and recognition could be implied by the blank space/ erased edges of the face.

Overall, my ideas are not yet finalised but I have been able to start considering different ideas for my solo and how they can be developed just from a photo. My next step will be to finalise my choice of stimulus and find music for my solo.

Below I have added my notes and ideas about each of the stimuli.


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Comments

  1. Daisy Stonier18 October 2019 at 02:53

    I really like how you have already thought about how you could generate movement from the stimuli and your ideas are very unique and interesting. If you were to choose the data stimulus, would you like your piece to be more abstract, following the shape of DNA, or would you like it to be more narrative, showing how someone may feel living with one of these diseases?

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    1. Mhairi Wallace12 November 2019 at 11:35

      I would like to do a more narrative dance based on how a disease such as Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia effects someone. To be able to portray this I would do further research into the symptoms of the disease and try to incorporate them into my dance.

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  2. Abigail Dowse31 October 2019 at 14:31

    Your blog includes many interesting points about the different stimuli and your opinions towards a few of these. i feel as though you can include more detail on one other stimulus. Overall, you have gone into lots of detail with the different stimuli you have written about and highlighted aspects which you like and how you would turn this into a piece. What were the strengths and weaknesses of doing this task?

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    1. Mhairi Wallace12 November 2019 at 11:38

      A strength I had within this task was I was able to come up with different ideas and concepts for the stimuli which I could possibly use for a solo. A weakness I had was that I struggled to decide which stimuli I wanted to use for my final idea.

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  3. NHorn Choreography31 October 2019 at 14:58

    I really like how you have thought about movement when looking at the stimuli but wondered if there were any other stimuli which intrigued you and also what specific diseases did you have in mind?

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    1. Mhairi Wallace12 November 2019 at 11:42

      I was also intrigued by the stimulus of the girl with the gun as it would be interesting to try and show the themes and juxtapositions of conflict, war and innocence. The diseases I would be keen to research and portray within my choreography are Alzheimer's or dementia as I think they would be interesting to learn about and try to represent with a narrative in a solo.

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  4. Storm Ide1 November 2019 at 11:31

    You have included very detailed points on your ideas for each image you were interested in, showing that you have developed thoughts on each one. I think that the idea of doing a piece on Alzheimer's desease is a really strong and unique idea in peticular. I just wondered which one you were drawn to the most and why?

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    1. Mhairi Wallace12 November 2019 at 11:45

      I was drawn to the idea of Alzheimer's/ dementia as it would be very interesting to learn about, also I think it could give me a good story line to follow within my dance and to try and show the emotions felt by someone with the illness by using facial expressions.

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  5. Rachel Donald2 November 2019 at 08:57

    I really like the way you have analysed the stimuli you were drawn to the most. Also, you have made some very interesting analysis points. What movements do you think you will include to present your chosen stimulus?

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    1. Mhairi Wallace12 November 2019 at 11:48

      I think I will use quite a few turns within my piece to link to the DNA double helix as its structure is a spiral. I could develop this by using different levels, using rolls or changing the turns into turning jumps. I might also use gestures within my dance to try and represent different features and symptoms of dementia.

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  6. Miss Norman26 November 2019 at 08:39

    Did the use of group discussion have an impact on your thoughts? What other ideas and interpretations were discussed during the lesson?

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    1. Mhairi Wallace2 December 2019 at 12:32

      Thank you for your comment, I think that having a group discussion really helped me develop my own ideas through listening to similar and also conflicting opinions and ideas. It also helped me to keep an open mind and think outside of the box to draw out ideas and themes which may not be so obviously when initially looking at the stimulus. Many of the interpretations made from the class linked to mental health, specifically the cog head and the human with the blank face, it created conversation on the different mental illnesses or cognitive issues that could be linked to the stimulus. There was further discussion into the data stimulus as it has lots of likes and geometric shapes, we mentioned that it could suggest constellations. This then led a conversation about a previous task we had done on our zodiac signs, creating a motif based on the traits of our zodiac, which could also link to this stimuli.

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