Chapter 1
1.3 Methodology
The collaborative methodology can be seen through the lens of a post qualitative inquiry, that uses tools and methods from practice-based methodologies as a guide. The processes of embodiment and anthropomorphism can be explored from this viewpoint, as expressed by educational theorist St. Pierre:
[p]ost qualitative inquiry, “thinking without method’ (Jackson, 2017) and “minor inquiry" (Mazzei 2017) all require “a very lengthy preparation, yet no method, no rules, nor recipes” (Deleuze & Parnet, 2002, p.8). The long preparation for post qualitative inquiry is reading, thinking, writing and living with theory in “experimentation in contact with the real” (Deleuze & Guattari, 1980/1987, p. 12). (2018: 604)
Professor of education Lesley Le Grange (2018) has given a thorough account of how post qualitative methodologies can be understood and approached. He describes a main ethical driver of post qualitative research and inquiry to be in the dissolution of positions of subjectivity. To describe this, he refers to his previous work on ‘becoming-imperceptible’ stating that:
In becoming-imperceptible the cosmos or the earth is not reduced to human thought, but human thought is instead bent by the earth/cosmos. The ‘human’ does not simply inhabit the world/earth but is inhabited by it. (2012: 102, cited in Le Grange, 2018: 8-9)
The methodology which emerged around the practice in this research was founded on such principles (as described in sections 1.2.a and 1.2.b) that seek ways to decentre the experience of all humans involved, to move closer to the subject, in both the creative process and the performances. This was done through a synthesis of different materials and disciplines in the process of creating the work.
There are three key elements which work together to form the context and structure, of this research. Firstly the creation of the libretto through methods of collaborative theatre making with composers and other artists. Next the embedding of scientific concepts and thought into the work as a foundation for collaboration (a joint starting point), and scaffolding for dramaturgical structure, narrative and character. Finally, a thorough exploration of the efficacy of the work through performance. Elements of opera, such as structural elements of recitative and aria, are used to inform the libretto. Ultimately the creation of libretti, exploration of characterisation and performance of the work is the form of the output from this practice-based research (Candy, 2006: 3).
In particular, the mode of outcome is in line with Robin Nelson’s suggestion of product, documentation and contextual writing (2013: 11). The research is presented in two new operatic works (case studies), which were produced in collaboration with other practitioners and have followed a reflexive and developmental process. This thesis sees the performance of the work itself as an expression of the knowledge developed during the research. In Barrett’s conception of the exegesis as meme she states that the output of research 'refers not only to the products of creative arts practices which may be judged by conventional criteria of artistic merit, but also to the experimental and material processes through which such products are externalised.' (2010: 162). As such the output, although unique and dependent on the subject matter and collaborators, is achieved through a replicable and emergent process and methodology.
The works presented were developed in cycles of performances. The first – The Flowering Desert, written 2020-2022 – had its most recent and final performance in January 2023 at the ThinkTank Planetarium, and the other Lipote: An Interconnected Journey had its final performances at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Other pieces worked on during the PhD will also be referenced in relation to the research questions and further information on them can be found in Appendix 3. These are: Entanglement! An Entropic Tale, In response to Naum Gabo’s Linear Construction in Space No. 1, Autohoodening: The Rise of Captain Swing, and The Monk of the River/The Monster of Gao. Some of the creative process during the PhD was documented in an online journal and the performances themselves were also documented through recording and film to help when reflecting on and evaluating the efficacy of the process. Some of the materials generated and recorded during the cycles can be found in appendices 2 and 3. Despite the documentation process it is important to note that these works are intended to be performed in front of, and watched by, a live audience, and that this should be taken into account when viewing the filmed material and libretto.
In order to develop a work that is representative of elements of opera, myth and science it was important when researching these three fields to narrow in on a specific subject matter and its related cultural representations. This process of research continued throughout the creation of the work, to the final cycle of stage production, keeping the topic alive in conversation and creation with my collaborators and for myself. The work produced from this knowledge can be described as an emergent property of a complex understanding of multiple fields (Green, 2015: online). In a sense I have worked also as an interpreter, uncovering an understanding of the material and its dramatic sensibilities.
1.3.a Methods of Collaboration
There is a broad range of literature on the best approach towards collaborative working practice. Sawyer (2008) used jazz ensembles to study the effectiveness of improvisation on collaboration, finding that it is good for solving problems or developing new ideas. Alternatively, Simon (2015: online) has argued, through studying the example of Cirque du Soleil’s practice, that strong leadership is necessary for successful collaborative outcomes. Mamykina, Candy and Edmonds (2002: online) have explored a mutualistic approach to collaboration. They suggested three possible models for collaboration: the assistant model, the partnership model and finally the hybrid model. In the assistant model collaborators take on different phases depending on their skillset, the partnership model shows all participants working together on all areas, and the hybrid model combines the two. My research has been more in line with these models of Mamykina, Candy and Edmonds. It is close to a hybrid model, and also presents as an assistant model. By working with specialists each person is able to take on the responsibility of their own role, be that composer, librettist, designer etc.; however, the process of experimentation, reflexive consultation and conversation between practitioners meant that there was also a key use of partnership in which each participant was able to affect and direct the work of the others. In several cases I was pushed to take on roles which were not my own speciality, in the first case to express and communicate my ideas, and in the second out of necessity due to funding or time limitations. Perhaps the small nature of the team, in contrast to larger scale theatrical organisations such as Cirque du Soleil, made the need for strict leadership less important. There were moments in which clear leadership was taken by the members of the team who had been working with the subject for the longest time, such as myself and the composer, especially in relation to performance goals. In this case the team were able to draw on us as the most expert in the work, at that stage, for guidance and support.
Within my established practice as a librettist my role has always been to create characters and narrative about a subject matter and decide upon the philosophical themes of the work. Kerman suggested in his book Opera as Drama (1989) that the librettist provides a starting point and source of inspiration from which the composer will create an ideal. This has been partly true here; however, the chosen subject matter has always acted as inspiration for all creative participants with the mutual goal to embed the piece with the subject as far as possible. I have been very lucky to be able to work in collaboration with composers who are open and willing to explore the ideas and concepts we are researching together, in a constructive environment. I have found that it is important to ensure the development of a good working relationship, in particular with the composer, in order to be able to serve the intricacies of the subject matter, and the future audience, as best as possible. The science, and chosen subject matter itself, is another important collaborator in this practice and must be given the depth of research and exploration necessary to be understood and an 'actor' in its own right (according to Latour's definition: Latour, 2005: 46) by all creative participants.
As a vocalist the act of singing and performing constitutes a large part of this research. I have allowed my exploration of different techniques within performance to affect how I construct text and operatic form. In sections 2.5.c and 3.5.e I shall discuss the choices surrounding the use of different types of voice technique, which range from classical to spoken word and to pop. The practice of singing is combined with the practice of writing libretti as the research develops through performance and practice, in turn to inform future works during the PhD. The performativity of the work is explored through collaborative and personal experimentation with voice, workshops, and open rehearsals, and is allowed to directly influence the development of the libretti and production towards the final cycles. In the initial stages this work is carried out mostly between myself and the rest of the creative team; however, it becomes something that is later workshopped and experimented with the other live performers. The work of practitioners such as Enrique Pardo and Linda Wise (techniques of disassociation, counterpoint and conversion (Pardo, 2003: online)), Jessica Aszodi (2018: 201) (embodied vocal performance) and Jody Kreiman (2013) (on interdisciplinary voice studies) was a helpful starting point in this part of the research.
To engage with methods of collaboration effectively I began by using Lawrence and Ann Halprin’s RSVP Cycles (1969). This provided a structure to manage the creation and research process towards the performed output. It also provided an ideological grounding in which all participants and collaborators were allowed to present and integrate their own individuality as part of the process, allowing for multiple components to be used as resources for the creative process towards performance. This is not limited to the people I am working with but also the material and main subject matters of the works. This method of working helps to begin the process of decentring from the individual's experience, towards that of the subject. Working in this iterative approach of development, experimentation, performance and reflection is also similar to a scientific approach to research. It involves exploring hypotheses, or choices, within the text, performance and collaboration, analysis of the results and further experimentation or performance based on the results. It also provides the framework through which to engage with the subject as a stakeholder and to make use of the creation of improvised and collaborative material and multimedia outputs, to develop a cohesive working relationship between collaborators. This process enters the realm of the posthuman, and therefore post qualitative practice, described in university settings by Braidotti as such:
[c]ritical posthuman scholars are collectively empowered to experiment with intensity, knowing that our political force lies in actualizing our “collective imaginings” (Gatens and Lloyd 1999). (Braidotti, 2017: 46)
The Smith and Dean Iterative Cyclic Web (2010: 20) is another initial tool which helped me to begin the journey of a practice-based researcher. With the use of critical reflections, involving collecting feedback from participants, audiences and myself, alongside analysing past performances or showcases, I developed my approach and working practices, which I could then test and develop along with the selection of a new subject matter and further productions. This also blends with Smith and Dean’s research-led practice. My own method, as a result of developing the work in a series of cycles, begins in their realm of practice-led, making use of the research-led tools to repeatedly create new versions of the artistic output.
Figure 1 A model of creative arts and research processes: the iterative cyclic web of practice-led research and research-led practice. Source: Smith & Dean, 2010: 20
1.3.b The Role of the Librettist in this Work
In its most simplistic form, a libretto is the text used for an opera, musical, ballet or any music theatre piece. Classically it is presented as a script with soliloquy, dialogue and group scenes, alongside basic stage directions. It can also include some instructions which begin to dictate musical and dramaturgic structure such as recitative, duet, chorus, aria and ensemble (Macnutt, 2001). One commonly discussed, and accepted attribute of a good libretto is one in which as little text as possible is written (Strickson, 2014: 1), so as to provide maximum space for the composer and the music to also be able to speak and express the emotions, thoughts and characteristics of the players in the story. David Mitchell has described his experience as a librettist saying that ‘the challenge of packing so much human luggage into so few syllables with rhythm, rhyme, assonance and alliteration was addictive and gratifying—not unlike sudoku’ (Mitchell 2010, cited in Morra 2010: 125). The libretto can also include staging directions to help all collaborators process the initial vision of the piece.
The role of the librettist has changed throughout the history of opera. It ranges from the initial text-focused Florentine Camerata and the reign of Metastasio, to the composer-librettist teams such as Mozart-Da Ponte and Strauss-Hoffmannsthal, the Gesamtkusntwerk of Wagner to the detachment from text in the anti-operas of Cage (Smith, 1971). Fundamentally the librettist brings the element of text to the creation of an opera, ballet, musical or any music theatre piece. This may mean writing the full story and setting the scene, or a conceptually driven poetic and artistic form, but it could also be an interpretation of an existing story or text.
The libretto carries out its role through the use of poetics, characterization and text, while the music can do this more pragmatically through the generation of harmonic and structural material from the data collected in scientific research, although it can also respond to the poetics of the subject. Morra (2010: 122) has expressed the opinion that the role, or even expectation, of the composer is to provide a certain ‘established musical entertainment’ while the librettist ‘is expected to define the overall contemporary and dramatic relevance of the piece”. As text provides the most immediate source of information to the general audience it can feel as if it is the burden of the librettist to ensure that this conveys the aims of the piece as a whole. However, without the support and scaffolding of the music, design, drama, movement and space the text will struggle to be understood.
Adam Strickson (2014: x) wrote on his experience as a librettist that:
The ‘text’ is not the words on the page but a series of interlinked relationships. The ‘writer’ is concerned with the relationship of the breath to word and sound, with the relationship between music and word/sound and with the body in action in a defined space.
The text itself must be generated as concisely as possible, to fit the nature of a mostly through-sung work. This means there is plenty of space for the music, performance, staging and design to illuminate the relationships implicit within the text. This in turn requires the text to be filled with layered meanings so that the creative collaborators have plenty of room to respond in different ways, and the fertile imagination of the performer can direct the delivery of the words.