(Working title: Civilization & its Discontents)
Blank Productions
Since 2002
'Civilization & its Discontents' is the working title for an interdisciplinary production still in development. The title is taken from the translation by James Strachey of Sigmund Freud's 'Das Unbehagen in der Kultur' (The Uneasiness in Culture), published in 1930.
The text, by Mark Hewitt, is in the early draft stages - and Blank Productions is in the process of sourcing funding to commission original music from Norwegian musician/composer, Thomas Strønen, one of Norway's most prolific drummers, sampling percussionists and composers.
The following quotations might be taken as guiding epigraphs for the work in progress:
'You see ... all art has now become completely a game, by which man distracts himself. What is fascinating actually is, that it's going to become much more difficult for the artist, because he must really deepen the game to become any good at all.' (Francis Bacon)
'Against the dreaded external world one can defend oneself only by somehow turning away from it ...' (Sigmund Freud)
Origins and early development
The origin of this piece was a chance observation in bar of the White Hart Hotel, Lewes, of a woman all but obscured by the bulk of a red leather wingbacked armchair. All that could be seen was her bare arms and legs (seen in profile), gesticulating as she conversed with a friend. The scene that was observed quickly transformed itself into a theatrical scenario with two chairs facing each other and a man and a woman talking. Some of the visual possibilities of this were subsequently explored with photographer Magali Nougarède and visual artist Lindsey McGown, working first with life models, then with actors.
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Photos © Magali Nougarède, 2002
Sketches © Lindsey McGown, 2002
Outsize armchairs were specially constructed for these initial experiments by upholsterer Marc Whatling.
The size of the chairs had the inadvertant effect of infantilising the actors (see below),
so they they were dropped from the future development of the work.
Above: actors Jonathan Cullen and Jo Howarth
Following a refurbishment of the bar of the White Hart Hotel a few years later, Mark Hewitt was able to purchase the chairs that sparked the original vision. These were first put to the service of dramatic dialogue in January 2009. malt(ings) extr-acts was a day of scratch performances of work in progress held at Farnham Maltings in Surrey, under the auspices of Farnham Playwrights Collective. At this showcase, a few early drafts were presented as Untitled (exposure 1), performed by actors Cary Crankson and Kathryn McGarr, directed by Elizabeth Newman (below).
Photos © Lesley Brewin
"The life imposed on us is too hard to bear: it brings too much pain, too many disappointments, too many insoluble problems. If we are to endure it, we cannot do so without palliative measures ... " (Sigmund Freud)
'All civilization has from time to time become a thin crust over a volcano of revolution.' (Havelock Ellis)