The Edge of Chaos – some notes

Exploring inter-disciplinary creativity

The Edge of Chaos is a creative event designed to explore:

How one artistic medium can inspire and be inspired by other mediums e.g. music inspires painting etc.

The points of connection between mediums – if music inspires painting what is it in the music that translates to the painting

The effect of the performer on the translation – is there something intrinsic in the music or is it the nature of its performance? 

The event focuses on improvisation in the moment.  There are no constraints on performers other than to explore possibilities rather than look for familiarity and comfortable patterns.  Performers are encouraged to actively disrupt familiar patterns so that the ensemble constantly reinvents the movement, sound and visuals presented.  Through this they actively seek the emergence of new ideas and states by keeping the event on the edge of chaos.

Complexity to Simplicity and Back Again

Previous performances have shown that there will be a sense of performing together and a collaborative essence that underpins and informs the overall direction and experience of the performance.  The surface complexity of the performance – sound, dance and painting – arises from a deep and deepening simplicity.  We can break this down to four levels:

The surface performance – music, dance, painting etc.

The connecting modes –

movement: speed, rhythm and variation;

size: big or small gestures, bright or quiet ;

manner or mood: calm, agitated, joyous etc.

The will to collaborate – performers (and audience) giving themselves to the greater aim, being prepared to change and be changed in order to contribute.  Giving priority to the aims and outcome of the event rather than satisfy own desires.

A spiritual sense of being part of a greater entity – tapping into a deeper connectivity spanning space and time.

So, the performance enables exploration of both creative output (music, paintings etc.) and deeper levels of consciousness with their effect on actions and output.  The audience can choose whether to just experience the art as it is created or experience the event on a deeper level by looking for the connections, collaboration and spiritual aspects of the performance. 

Complex Adaptive Networks – a simple approach

Once the performance begins the participants become a complex adaptive network (CAN) – a set of agents within the boundaries of the performing area.  This boundary is porous in that there will be a degree of connectivity with the audience and environment but for practical purposes we should consider that it does exist.

Some Network Theory: CAN -do

A CAN consists of a number of independent agents that have the means to connect with each other.  The connectivity of the network is a product of the number of meaningful connections between agents – exchanges of information.  The degree of connectivity will drive the network into one of three broad states:

Chaos – results from an under-connected network where there is little exchange and agents act independently and without knowledge of each other

Stability – results from an over-connected network – everyone knows what everyone else is doing and there is little space for new ideas and innovation.  In human networks there is a strong trend towards this state; in a complex, changing world we desire stability.  But stability stifles creativity and innovation.  To be creative we have to disturb the stable network – drive it towards the third state:

The edge of chaos – where stability breaks down but we are connected enough to avoid chaos.  It’s uncomfortable, it’s unpredictable, it’s creative.

Being on the edge of chaos, in the creative zone is a balancing act – chaos and stability beckon on both sides.  In practical terms biological networks move in and out of the zone, passing from stability to creativity and back to stability, with the occasional trip in to chaos too.

Connections, Connections, Connections

For our Edge of Chaos performance we need to pay attention to this issue of connections between the performers. If we ignore everyone else and do our own thing chaos will ensue.  On the other hand, if we pay close attention to and try to interact with everything that is going on then the system will stabilise and remain that way until someone or something disrupts it. 

With a small network like ours it is difficult to say exactly how many connections will be ideal.  I suggest we each focus on two or, at most, three connections at any one time, aiming to have a meaningful exchange for anything from a few seconds to a minute or two and then move on to form other connections.  How do we start up a new connection? Three possibilities:

Someone is doing something that attracts you and you’d like to build on it

Something catches your attention and you decide to play with it

Purely random – connect for no apparent reason and see what happens. (randomness plays an important part in creativity so go for it)

When a connection is formed we should think about what happens to allow an exchange.  Some suggestions:

Inspiration – it seems obvious what to do so do it and see if an intuitive exchange takes place – bouncing ideas off each other.

Look for common “language” – more difficult if you are connecting with a different medium (e.g. music to painter). Direct your attention to one of the following underlying “modes”:

Movement – is the other person acting quickly or slowly, rhythmically or in varying patterns

Size – big gestures or intricate detail, loud/bright or quiet/soft

Mood/manner – is it aggressive or calm, happy or sad

When you have each others’ attention try something and see what happens – begin a dialogue of actions – statement/response, work with what you’re given and see where it takes you.  As Chuck Close, the artist said: “Painting is a performance by the artist in front of the canvass it’s just that usually there is no audience” and on another occasion: “Painting is a dance for the arm”

Keeping the Big Picture in Mind

At the same time as making connections we have to be aware of the environment so from time to time mentally stand back and look at the big picture – within the network boundary (i.e. the performers) and beyond it to the audience.  What is happening? Is there an overall direction or trend? Do you want to do anything with that (become a leader for a time)?  A complex adaptive network does not require a guiding hand in order to function but leaders do emerge (and submerge) as part of the way things happen.

6.  The Aim: Boids and Moments of Beauty

What will happen – what will come out of the event?

Well, we don’t know.  This is an improvisation and if it is to be truly that then we can’t know what will happen.  Just like a flock of birds: they may have a general purpose and possibly an overall goal of where to get to but in the moment they move together and that in itself can be a beautiful event.  In the 1970s Craig Reynolds developed a computer algorithm to simulate birds flocking – he called his simulation “Boids” and discovered that birds can flock if they stick to three principles:

Keep a minimum distance from those around you (avoid collisions)

Match your speed to those around you

Fly towards the centre of those around you

For more information Google “boids”.

In a way The Edge of Chaos is like a flock of birds: we have a general purpose to create a stimulating event – but we have no roadmap or regimented method.  We will rely on working together and be confident that, like a flock of birds, we will create beautiful moments along the way.  We could translate the Boids principles into our own event:

Respect each others’ ideas and give space to develop them

Collaborate rather than follow your own path

Look for the emergence of new ideas through working with each others input

7.  Performers, Paradoxes and Possibilities

To participate fully in The Edge of Chaos the performers need a high level of technical ability in their medium.  The piece demands the ability to create new ideas in the moment.  As the performers connect they must be able to identify, interpret and contribute immediately; building on what has happened and is happening while anticipating what will happen.  They work within the tensions of:

Their existing repertoire and the possibilities of new ideas

Their individual needs and those of the group

The discipline of performance versus creative freedom

Attempting to resolve these apparent paradoxes would be fruitless and frustrating. Instead, the performer must work with them, allowing the tension they create to power the performance.  They ride the paradoxes like a surfer rather than try to hold them back like Neptune.  Through this they can access the deeper levels mentioned above.

To achieve this they need to have complete competence and confidence of their ability in their medium.  Production of the sounds, colours and movements must flow from their attention to the connections they are involved in and the overall creative environment.  Paying attention to technical issues will undermine their connectivity, their openness to new developments and the overall performance.  Like the birds in flight they don’t have time to think about how fast to flap their wings.  Their medium is a vehicle to explore and reveal the possibilities emerging within the event.

A Broader Context – what does it mean in the real world?

If the Edge of Chaos is to be more than an interesting diversion we have to consider what the audience and the performers will take away from it.  For a start we hope they will buy the paintings, CDs and DVDs.  Additionally they will have experienced being part of a creative event and will take away the memory of that plus a desire to participate in something similar again.  But there are some broader possibilities too:

They will gain insight into the creative process, seeing the raw material rather than a sanitised, pre-packaged facsimile.  This will enhance their enjoyment of future creative offerings – granted, you don’t want to get covered in clay every time you buy a pot but having done so once will deepen your enjoyment of future pots.

In a goal driven world they will see that you don’t always have to have aims, outcomes and specific plans written in tablets of stone.  Improvisation within a broad context can and often will deliver a positive and useful outcome.  They may even consider how much of what happens in the world does so in this way and how this balances with more planned and process driven activity.

They will have an opportunity to see how connectivity works within a network.  Depending on what happens within the event they will experience stability and/or chaos as the connectivity between the performers varies.  They may want to consider how this translates into their own networks outside the event.

They will observe how apparently disparate areas (painting, music etc.) can find a common language by looking beneath the surface complexity.  And by communicating through this language a synergy and emergence of new ideas and states can occur.  How can this be applied in work, politics and social situations?

They will experience (we hope) the power of collaboration.  Where there is a will to work together and an awareness of the true nature of collaboration as a balance between the self and the whole then real creativity can happen.

The Edge of Chaos is a creative event that can be performed and experienced at a number of levels.

Welcome to the Edge of Chaos