Chapter 3: "Librettising" ecology to create Lipote: An Interconnected Journey
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Context of the Research and Influences
3.3 Synopsis
3.4 Developing the Script
3.4.a Communication: Influence from the Science
3.4.b Exploring Different Worlds: Panarchy and Adaptive
3.4.c Soil
3.4.d The Fungal Network
3.4.e The Narrator
3.4.f The Humans
3.4.g The Rainforest
i. A Framework for the Rainforest
iii. Exploring the Rainforest through Cycles of Collaboration
3.4.h The Palm Tree Plantation
3.4.i Lipote as the Loner Tree and the "Fiery Edge"
3.4.j The Strangler Fig
3.4.k The Forest Garden (or Taungya) and the Marriage
3.6 Future Steps and Conclusion
3.6 Future Steps and Conclusion
The main element which I have not yet had time to explore is the impact of venue and location on the performance. One joint goal, agreed by all collaborators in the creation of this work, was to de-prioritise the venue, creating a flexible performance which could be transported and performed in a variety of locations. We achieved this, having now performed both at a music festival and in a more traditional theatre. Something we had discussed exploring, but never had the opportunity to do, was to put the audience in different places. A testimonial from an audience member at the Edinburgh Fringe also expressed interest in this further stage saying:
I think the psychedelic way into it is a really keen observation. I think what was really nice for me is that being in the front here it feels very immersive, and I think by the end the dramaturgy of the piece is very much like this is our story, this is connected. It is not just like we are watching the story of the trees but this matters for the world this matters for us. So I would see this leaning more towards putting the audience in different places, maybe what happens if the audience is behind you. I think there are a lot of ways you can play with space that are really exciting. It’s in a really interesting place where you can experiment a lot, and it is really great material. (Ed Fringe Audience Testimony, 2023)27
In particular the audience member from our final performance in Edinburgh highlights the use of UV materials as a way into a more physically immersive performance. The lighting and design prioritises the object, costume or prop, over the human performing. Making use of this material allows the performers to focus even further on the non-human subjects they are representing. This responds well to the process of anthropomorphising that we are taking the audience through. The necessity for darkness in order to highlight the UV materials was also reflective of the darkness in the soil, allowing us to create vivid representations of an invisible world. The brightness of the materials, and the subsequent designs for the different characters, were also in response to the images created by scientists of the inner workings of plant roots through the use of radioactive dyes or ultrasound imaging. Wanshu has written of her own work:
Deep shadows and darkness are essential, because they dim the sharpness of vision, make depth and distance ambiguous, and invite unconscious peripheral vision and tactile fantasy (Li, 2021).
Within this type of design it is the experience of the reflected light which creates the performance space making it a truly flexible medium for various locations. With future funding we will seek to expand the piece in this way, performing to a broader audience and allowing the location or venue to influence the experience of the work as well as the subject, music and design. Another element we will seek to develop for future productions is the scene changes, and possibly bring in further narrative or dramaturgical sections which can represent other elements of soil health and interactions during these moments (such as the abundance of micro-organisms around the roots of trees).
During the creation of this work I was able to explore a deep and integrated collaborative partnership with the composer, designer and choreographer. We were all focused on how to best serve the concept, the subject and the story, allowing the characters and the research behind them to guide our decision making. The process of working in cycles also helped us to notice those choices which had not been made in service of the narrative or characters. Having such an invested and conscientious team meant that we all searched for answers to the reasoning behind the smallest details. I am sure that with further cycles of development this work would be able to grow into a tighter representation of the research behind it. Our various audiences in each cycle not only gave valuable feedback, but helped to push our production development forward.
I found that the use of anthropomorphism in reference to ecology was at first harder to grasp, especially in the context of the many anthropomorphic representations of trees and forests that already exist globally across many cultures. Ecology is not as clear cut as physics: the laws and definitions which guide it are less universal and I had spent less time during my life studying and thinking about it. By sticking to the core principles of this work, displaying the ways in which forest systems differ from the perspective of the soil, and talking to other scientists who had spent their whole working lives with the topics, I was able to find an access route to the work and to create the narrative. The co-creation element, in which the work was constantly tested and explored through participatory workshops, development sessions and rehearsals, helped to shape the characters and story, allowing the dramaturgy to emerge from the research and understanding of the topic. By sharing my thoughts with scientists at a key stage I was able to gain a greater perspective on how this science is studied and communicated by those most engaged with it. Reading anthropological texts and accounts of living in forest- based societies also gave me greater insights into the different ways that knowledge of ecosystems and forestry has been created.