Experiments — Final Major Project
Designers: Alex Newson, Sebastian Ervi
Stage of the project: Concept generation and evaluation
After an incomplete workshop and inconclusive trains of thoughts, I suggested to get making something, trying out and learning that way. So we put up a concert!
The workshop
We wanted to experiment with various ideas, to explore ways of facilitating social connections in a concert situation. We got the opportunity to collaborate with a starting guitarist. She did not have prior stage experience, but was willing to try experiments with us. After idea generation and discussions, Alex and I agreed on trying out the following six experiments.
- One song with a balloon
- One song with scent + blindfold
- One song with lyrics on a screen
- One song with people holding hands
- One song with artist sitting in the audience (instead of stage)
- One song with artist putting personal decorative items on stage
Because the guitarist was going to perform 4 songs, I volunteered to perform 2 songs before her. This also allowed me to bodystorm stage presence in front of an audience. On top of these song-specific experiments, we conducted additional experiments with venue experiences we had ideas of: I was personally interested in representing a venue’s history by allowing people to listen to recordings of historical concerts. Alex explored DYI merch-making and the production of memories in the form of dance moves.
Findings
The concert was organised in a lecture theatre at London College of Communication. 13 students, both internal and external, attended as audience members. Everyone was asked to self-report the intensity of the connection they felt with the artist, the venue, or other audience members during different experiments. Results were counted as averages for easier comparison:
We found that the most effective ways for audiences to connect with the artist were by displaying lyrics of the song, and having the artist play within the crowd instead of being on stage.
When evaluating the cohesion with other audience members, it was found that engaging actively and collectively, for example by playing with balloons and holding hands while running around the venue — were the most effective way to connect. It is important to point out that collective activities happening during performances tended to distract audiences — resulting in a low rating of cohesion — instead of connecting them with the artist.
Music Venue Trust
With a growing interest to work with small grassroots venues, I made desk research on the Music Venue Trust foundation, who publicly share resources about grassroots venues and their importance in the music ecosystem. I better understood the role of these venues on both micro- and macro-levels, and learnt more about why so many venues are closing down. I also read papers about similar topics, in order to read multiple sources and cross information.
What I learnt
- While collective activities still seem a promising lead, we might not want to include them directly during songs, as they tend to distract from the actual performance. But displaying lyrics facilitates sing-alongs during songs, which increases engagement and social cohesion.
- Changing power dynamics seemed to result in improved social cohesion: when the artist stepped down from stage and came in the audience, people seemed to feel a stronger connection.
- Grassroots music venues are essential in the music ecosystem as they provide opportunities for emerging talent. Without these spaces, bigger venues would not sustain either. These venues are also bringing communities together, and sustaining local economies in cities.
- Many venues are closing down because of increasing costs, a lack of funding and abusive regulations. There is a true need for recognition of these venues as cultural places. Attendance for starting artists is falling and margins are getting smaller.
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