‘Everything Everybody Owns’: A Script for Performance - inspired by Meg Cranston's Keep Same Over

‘Everything Everybody Owns’: A Script for Performance, There are No surprises: Eliminate the Possibility for Surprise

1. Pre-event: Choose/select/designate a space for the event and ask all the participants to bring to the event everything they own.

2. Event: Gather the participants in the chosen space and arrange everything they own in the space.

2.1 Arrange everything they own in the space to create an environment
2.2 Or a structural assemblage,
2.2.1 or a series of assemblages,
2.2.2 or an accumulation,
2.2.2.1 or a series of accumulations
2.2.3. or a formation
2.2.3.1 or a series of formations.

2.3 Allow the participants and the audience
2.3.1 to move through the structural assemblages,
2.3.2 or inhabit the stimulated environment

2.4 Record the event
2.4.1 Take photographs of the event and write captions for the photographs.
2.4.2 Make a video of the event
2.4.3 Sketch the event on a piece of white A2 standard cartridge paper with a 2B pencil.
2.4.4 Record the event using the following materials only - a wasp’s nest, yellow card, toothpicks, glue and purple glitter.


3. Specified Environment Version

3.1 Use everything the participants own and will bring to the event to stimulate a specific environment,

3.1.1. Stimulate a real-life environment in the space, by using objects and materials to create,
3.1.1.1 a café,
3.1.1.2 a supermarket,
3.1.1.3 cyberspace,
3.1.1.4 a dance studio,
3.1.1.5 a tropical island.

3.1.2 Create an environment with dramatic or distorted spatial dimensions.
3.1.2.1 Put large objects into small spaces
3.1.2.2 Make an object smaller than it really is.
3.1.2.3 Make an object larger than it really is.

3.1.3 Create an environment for the objects which the objects would not normally inhabit.
3.1.3.1 The chosen space is a swimming pool. Arrange
household appliances under water so participants can dive under water and use them.
3.1.4 Create an environment the participants can inhabit permanently.


4. Specified Assemblage Version

4.1 Pre-select from everything the participants own to create an assemblage.

4.1.1 Not all objects will be used. Participants still need to bring everything they own to the event so the object-selection process can take place.

4.1.2 All objects must be owned by the participants prior to the event,
4.1.2.1 Objects or material cannot be found in the chosen space and used for the event.
4.1.2.2 Objects cannot be purchased especially for the event.

4.1.3 Suggested assemblages:
4.1.3.1 Attach 100 safety pins to1 kg soap powder or laundry detergent (any brand) and pour the detergent-safety pin mixture into a bird cage.
4.1.3.2 Gather together 12000 litres of water (with or without a receptacle), a series of wires or cables, and a ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ sign or a ‘Welcome’ doormat.
Create organic forms from the wires or cables and attach them or balance them underneath the sign or doormat.
4.1.3.3 Create a series of face masks using rubber husks from deflated balloons, broken household appliances and fridge magnets.


5. Fluxversion

5.1 Participants must arrange everything they own into tidy market stall layout.

5.2 Then participants are to go and look at the other participants’ stalls.
5.2.1 They are to then,
5.2.1.1 trade,
5.2.1.2 swap,
5.2.1.3 exchange,
5.2.1.4 or barter
with one another, only using objects and items from everything they own.

5.3 Everything the participants own is lumped together in a large pile, and then sorted into new individual lots according to the number of participants. Allow the participants to take away their new holdings.

5.4 Timed Version - Give Fluxversion a time frame.
5.4.1 38 seconds,
5.4.2 35 minutes, 56 seconds,
5.4.3 Or, 2 days.


6. Mathematical / Deterministic / Procedural Versions

6.1 Limit the number of participants to 4.8.

6.2 Limit the number of objects participants can bring to the event,
6.2.1 Ten participants are to bring the number of objects, from everything they own, according to what number participant they are. For example participant one brings one object from everything they own, participant two brings two and so forth…

6.3 Work out the spatial dimensions of the environment or assemblage according to the total volume of all the objects present. Reduce this figure by 74 percent. Attempt to assemble all of the objects in a space that is too small.

6.4 Limit the number of bodily movements participants can make when creating the environment or assemblage to 18 bodily movements per participant.

6.5 Arrange the objects according to size, in ascending order.
6.5.1 Choose every fifth object and remove all other objects. Retain the negative space that this will leave between the objects.

6.6 Create an accumulative time capsule by arranging everything the participants own according to the years in which they attained that particular ‘thing’ - object or material. Arrange all the objects from a particular year, horizontally, and then stack each ‘year’ (the horizontal assemblage) on top of another to create stratification or a vertically layered assemblage.

6.7 Choose another procedure by which the objects are structured or assembled into layers.
6.7.1 stacked on top of one another
6.7.2 or separately in the space.
6.7.3 Suggestions for structuring procedures:
6.7.3.1 Objects are to be assembled by colour. Put all the brown things together, the white on another, etc.
6.7.3.2 or, objects are to be assembled by shape. Put all the square things on one layer, triangular on another, etc.
6.7.3.3 Objects are to be assembled by other physical attributes.
6.7.3.3.1 According to the softness or hardness of particular objects.
6.7.3.3.2 or, by grouping similar things together. Put all the office supplies on one layer, food on another, clothing, etc.

6.7 Resist creating a casual assemblage. Use things that people own to determine chance operations.
6.7.1 Flip a coin to determine all decisions for constructing an assemblage.
6.7.2 Use a numbered spinning wheel to determine all decisions for constructing an assemblage.
6.7.3 Use die to determine all decisions for constructing an assemblage.


7. Musical Version

7.1 Use the following music score to accompany the event.
7.1.1 Stimulate the sounds of the music score by limiting the sound materials to
7.1.1.1 materials ‘found’ in the chosen space
7.1.1.2 objects and materials from everything everybody owns that are not being used as part of the event assemblage or environment.

7.2 Use the following score to actually create a musical / sound ‘environment / assemblage’. Choose objects from everything everybody owns to create sounds.

7.3 Score:

Materials, such as rope, wire, cord or strings, are plucked for one minute at 2-second intervals.
A participant repeats SOMETHING CONFUSES US INTO SMALLNESS AND WE COME BACK AGAIN over the top of the plucking for 1 minute 7 seconds.
Silence for 35 seconds.
There is a cracking sound of a whip, wet tea towel or glass lasting for a minute.
There is a sound of gushing fluids for 3 minutes.
Silence for 12 seconds.
There is noise of hammers, wood, ceramics, and pots being crashed together for 20 seconds. Then all participants repeat SOMETHING CONFUSES US INTO SMALLNESS AND WE COME BACK AGAIN over top of the crashing noises for 30 seconds.
Silence for 7 seconds.
Crashing resumes for 12 seconds.
Silence for 5 seconds.
Crashing resumes for a second.
Silence for 12 seconds.
Then a series of saws bent almost in two are struck with metal objects for 2 minutes.
All participants repeat WHEN ONE IS BEING NEITHER EMOTIONAL NOR INTELLECTUAL! for 1 minute over top of saws and metal objects.
Silence for 5 seconds.
Someone blows a whistle for 17 seconds.

- Emma Phillipps © 2007