In our first lesson of Site Specific, we were introduced to what Site entails and some of the performance types that are included in the category “Site Specific”.
We all took part in what is known as a “Subtle Mob” which is like a Flash Mob but, where a Flash Mob is big, bright and noticeable, a Subtle Mob is often unnoticed by many of its “audience”. We followed a list of instructions such as look at the sky, take a photograph, copy a strangers walk etc.
This allowed us to get a beginners understanding of how Site Specific works because, if we had followed these instructions anywhere else, the end result would have been different depending on which location we chose.
The top of the hill
Documentation from a Site Specific Performance Project in Lincoln, UK (2015)
Hi George,
Here is a link to a call out for a subtlemob that ran in 2009 – I think it’s interesting to see how people were talking about it and how much information participants (audience/performers) were given in advance.
https://mymetropole.wordpress.com/tag/subtle-mob/
Strictly speaking I suppose you should have had headphones and received instructions simultaneously – to be true to the original subtlemob form but as you can see here http://subtlemob.com/ the artists themselves wanted others to have a go at making one, saying:
“subtlemobs were an idea, an experiment in creating experiences.
We always wanted it to be an open idea”