For a while now I have felt like my performance has been missing a final cohesive element, which will be a recurring device, slowly degrading. But now I believe I may have found something to incorporate.
Considering the themes of my performance I have decided to create a compilation of footage taken from a number of televangelists. This video will be used either two or three times, depending on if an idea I currently have seems workable. The footage will be genuine clips taken from televangelist sermons, where the preachers are ridiculously theatrical, and morally questionable.
(screenshot of the video being edited)
These clips collate particularly well to the concept of religious and spiritual decline that I explore in the performance, especially when considered alongside the exponential rise in Capitalism. However, I am aware of the fact that religions have been preoccupied with making money long before the advent of the twentieth century. This may make the idea of decline seem redundant. However, I do not believe that to be true, as I believe that the twentieth century’s obsession with Capitalism propelled religious entities into become more overtly money-hungry. This combined with the invention of televisions allowed for preachers to broadcast straight into homes – creating televangelists. I hope the footage and the mode in which I choose to display – televisually rather than myself playing the role of one – exposes the deeper level of decline, as the preachers now have the capacity to be even more invasive.
These clips are placed in sections of the performance where they have greatest impact, by heightening the words I will be saying.
I’m excited about this addition within the performance, as I think it adds a new dimension within the dramatic platform. The genuine footage contributes to the non-artificial message of the performance, which in turn juxtaposes with the explicitly theatrical devices I am employing. I enjoy this element of the performance, as I believe it aligns the televangelists with artificiality; a central theme of the performance.