The workshop room was almost in darkness
and Marco Ferreira from Portugal welcomed us in silently. Pens and paper on the floor showed us where
we should settle in a circle and Marco set about explaining the first activity
– in silence, but not ‘sin palabras’, without words – he had a handy notebook
hanging from his neck to write key words and explain the aim. We were to write (with words) our dreams for
the future on sheets of A4 and then he led us with movement to peg these
thoughts on to ‘washing lines’ in the room.
Next we wrote our names on paper and he explained how to speak our names
using our body, and as we each got up to do this there was an interesting
dynamic of self selecting the order, with no intervention from Marco. Very Confident Man next to me went first,
then Drama Girl across the way quickly followed. I decided it best to get it done early, so
got in next, then different lengths of pauses developed as people weighed up
their options. There were those who were
thoroughly in tune with the methods, and everyone else seemed to think “in for
a penny, in for a pound” (“In for a cent, in for euro”?) and pushed
embarrassment to the side.
Just as well, as the following activities
involved a range of interpretative movement, hugging and non-verbal
communication which (In for a penny in for a pound) I found energising and refreshing. Having been on tour for five days at that
point, I was just at the point of feeling pretty ‘talked out’, and there was
plenty to take from Marco’s work. He
performed his own piece for us in the middle, which showed how unspoken work
can be mesmerising, beautiful and communicate a thousand words.
In choosing the workshop I wanted to
reflect on how I work with ‘non-verbal’ participants, particularly those with
learning difficulties, but also the shy characters who can easily be side-lined
in a noisy group. The programme had
explained that Marco feels “that during artistic processes those with the
loudest mouths tend to dominate” and when he works silently there is space for all
to contribute. I worried that the
notebook puts pressure on the literacy of the group, but at the same time I
could see the some instruction is necessary to get things started. In spoken sessions the dominant individuals
can sometimes take their opportunity to ‘say their piece’, as if broadcasting
their views, without having to engage with or even acknowledge the reflections
of others. I can see that working in
silence pushes everyone to take notice of every non-verbal cue. It heightens the senses and instantly turns
individuals into the cooperative team, as we are reliant on feedback and
interaction to communicate, as if it were a puzzle to be solved.
As the session progressed I found myself
reflecting on the ‘noise addiction’ suffered by most of the young groups I work
with. How lovely it would be to reduce
the cacophony to total silence, to demonstrate what you miss when you must fill
every second with sound. I know some
young people who would find this terrifying – and I might just try it!
Sophie, High Peak Community Arts
