Working individually and together to create images on themes using the body in the space.
This encourages participants to get active, also think with their bodies and invent scenes together.
Materials needed
✓ A camera or mobile phone.
✓ A list of words from concrete and everyday (family, school, work, on the underground train, at the border etc.) to more complex and abstract (love, courage, hat, fear, success, community, oppression, democracy, dictatorship, war, capitalism, poverty, rascism, discrimination, solidarity) etc.
Proposed location
✓ A stage and audience situation e.g. a row of chairs and an open space.
✓ The space should be well lit – so the photos turn out well.
Steps
1.
The facilitator explains the game rules to the group and asks for a volunteer to take photos. The facilitator calls out a keyword and then counts down slowly the seconds from 10 to 1. (5 mins)
2.
Participants hear the word concept, and start creating an image without talking. By seeing the spontaneous actions of the others and joining in to create a situation in the space. (1 min.)
3.
For example the word “family”, may inspire a situation in a kitchen, someone plays a mother cooking, maybe two play sisters arguing, maybe someone playing a father shouting, maybe someone plays a neighbour hearing the noise, at the door knocking. But this situation depends on the group’s interpretation. It may be full of contradictions.
4.
Reaching 1, the facilitator shouts “freeze”, and the image is frozen and everyone stays in their position without moving. The assistant takes the photo.
5.
Participants come back and sit down in the audience chairs. Now a new word prompt is shouted out – and the countdown starts again and the group makes a new image with their bodies in the space. About 10 words, 10 images and 10 photos are taken. Participants may chat between the images, because it is quite an exciting process, so allow them a little time to do this. (10-15 mins)
6.
After about 10 word prompts and 10 photos have been taken, give the participants a short break, and prepare the photos in sequence to be shown as a slide-show on a laptop or projected on to a wall or screen. (10-15 mins)
7.
Look at the photos one by one on the laptop or projected on to the wall, and ask the participants to describe what they see.
What is the symbolic meaning behind the image? Does this tell us anything about our collective view of the chosen theme? As a group? As a society? And finally do we see our individual view on the theme in the image? (15-20 mins)
Closing up
- If participants agree, share the photos to the whatsapp group.
- These photos demonstrate the group process well.
