THE ART14 SYSTEM

SYSTEM & CONCEPTS

KNOW YOUR SELF

The ART14 teaching system differs in many ways from acting classes that are designed to advance careers in the professional industry of Stage and Film. Though many of the games and techniques I use are the same or similar, the main aim of the ART14 system is to enable adults (18yrs+) to play with curiosity again and re-learn some of the most important games of life from fresh perspectives. Through play, re-play, and crucially being observed in action, the players learn not ‘to pretend to be someone else’, but to express themselves – the many parts of their SELF – authentically. The profound insights that acting techniques can uncover, if taught in the right way, are key in a human’s emotional, physical, spiritual and cognitive development. Provided with a rehearsal space and a resonating audience, the players discover news ways to express themselves openly and freely, while learning how to do it confidently and in a congruent and controlled way. A growth of SELF-worth becomes evident; a trust in one’s own abilities to direct one’s own life-film, instead of operating as a puppet or pawn in someone else’s dream. Ultimately, the ART14 System is about SELF-ACTUALISATION.

What is ACTING? Some people believe that acting is ‘pretending’ to be, but this is not completely true. It is described—amongst players who have experimented with this ancient human art form for many years—as ‘DOING in an imagined world.’ The player’s goal is to be able to focus intensely and accurately on an imaginary world, immersing their SELF completely. They are in the moment, undistracted and in the imaginary play world (like we did as children), while at the same time maintaining the physical and mental control to know, as adults, that it is not real; that it can be stopped or paused at any given moment. ART14 describes ACTING as ‘the art of being in two places at once’: for example, being in a subjective emotional state and an objective analytical state at the same time; being spontaneously free, while at the same time being in control of one’s actions and reactions.

ART4 embraces the paradoxical state of being real and unreal at the same time. Visible and invisible. The ACTOR is the Mask, as well as the person behind the Mask. Through this awareness, the actor develops an advanced understanding of the fact that there is always a two way process between opposites. The mind and the body are totally inter-related. One is subjective and objective at the same time. In a similar way there is no real division between memory and imagination, because they both run in the same neural pathways. Hence the title, ART14 – ‘the marriage of the opposites’.Hence the title, ART14 – ‘the marriage of the opposites’.

Why do humans Censor their Creativity? Censoring and striving for perfection go hand in hand. In an attempt to become the perfect being we think we are supposed to be, taught to be, try to be, we censor the unique parts of ourselves that we think don’t fit into that perfect image of ourselves. We censor our imagination well before anything becomes manifest in ideas, words, actions or play. We do this in order to filter out anything that could be judged as stupid, crazy, mad, criminal, ugly, debauched, perverse, boring, or quite simply, not politically correct. We are taught this in school. Our naturally playful and curious minds are streamlined into the current expectations of an established norm for the benefits of people we don’t really know or who don’t really know us.

What is Stage Fright? ‘Stage fright’ is somehow connected to a belief or conviction that one is supposed to be perfect. I have observed many times how this fight or flight or freeze reaction is triggered by a fear of being judged and failing in the eyes of other peoples’ expectations. When you are a trained actor, there will of course of course always performance nerves; butterflies; an adrenalin rush of excitement and, of course, a healthy concern that something might go wrong, but usually after the first few minutes of immersing oneself into the play, all that disappears! Players can become fearful of expressing themselves freely, if they are confronted with too much negative criticism. Too often I have witnessed how this can impact their ability to focus both in the ‘real’ world and in the imagined world. Stage Fright can become utterly debilitating, if a player is not encouraged to understand that mistakes or accidents can also be beautiful creations that give birth to a myriad of new ideas and new truths. In the ART14 Playground, the players are permitted to make as many mistakes as they want. It’s hilarious. Once a player witnesses and grasps this life saving phenomenon, they open up like a flower in the desert after a burst of rain.

The Actor’s Instrument. Like the Magician in a set of Tarot cards, the Actor juggles with the tools of the Universe, which are at his/her disposal. A violinist plays the violin. The Actor plays him/herself. The Human has everything within him/herself to be the very instrument that is playing and being played. The Actor is both the Puppet and the Puppet Master; both the Creator and the Creation.

We are Gestalt Beings. In German the word GESTALT means ‘shape’ or ‘form’. The Germans also use the same word to describe a ‘spectre’; a ghost or apparition – something with an unrecognisable or changing shape or form. What I have witnessed is that players, when invited to play various characters, often spring ultra-willingly into the opportunity to manifest their being in a different way. And they often literally change their physical appearance in front of the audience’s eyes. Sometimes the shifts of shape or appearance are subtle, though no less apparent. At times their shape manifests as the complete opposite of what they choose to present, or represent, or appear to be, in ‘real’ life. Humans have many layers or fields of manifestation, which remain hidden behind a veil of self-created and purposeful illusion. Our strategies for survival in the ‘real’ world are created for very good reasons, but often become habits. There is no doubt in my mind that the ART14 system enables players to shape-shift, if they so choose. The witnessing of this, involves a multi-layered understanding of who we really are.

We Create the World We Live in: Which part of one’s mind does one want to dwell in? On what aspect of the world around us do we want to focus our attention? It is known, and proven, that we have the ability to attract the things we focus on or give attention to. Not only attract them, but also to change them, both negatively and positively. Electricity works in the same way, with the polar opposites of positive and negative energy. Maybe we are electrically energetic beings that have the power to create the world around us with our imaginings, our thoughts, our spoken words and our Actions? Developing ACTING and IMPROVISATION skills seems to unveil an implication that we have the ‘power of choice’, and are therefore all creators and co-creators of the world we live in. We all, therefore, have a huge responsibility for the nature of what unfolds around us in this amazing Drama or Play of LIFE.

Take it to another level? What does this mean? As a facilitator, I sometimes encourage the players in the Playground to ‘Take it to another level!’ Most players intrinsically understand what this means – they simply take the action to another level of intensity – but it is worth unpacking. There is no hierarchy in the ART14 System as to who or what is good or bad, better, best or worse at anything. THERE IS NO COMPETITION. There are no ‘levels’ as such. No exams. There are no awards or rewards, other than the joy of play itself and a greater awareness of what’s possible. It’s relative. There are layers of understanding, of consciousness if you like, which could also mean deeper, broader, lower, higher, simpler, faster, slower. Very often, ‘less is more’. But all outcomes are equally valuable. No-one has to prove themselves to be better or more intelligent than others. Indeed, how do we define intelligence? In which context? ART14 requires and inspires a re-evaluation of almost everything we know about how the world around us is created.

The Marriage of the Opposites: The ART14 System thrives on nurturing basic human core values, at the heart of which is the importance of KNOWING ONE’S SELF, in all one’s potential of opposites and extremes, at the same time embracing the universality of the light and the shadow in human nature. It is as much about discovering a variety of new Masks for one’s SELF, as it is about ‘discovering the person, the SELF, behind the Mask’. For we are both the CREATOR and the CREATION. We are all players, Yes! And we create the world we live in. In this, we have far more choice as to how we act or react in any given situation in ‘real’ life, far more than we currently believe (or are lead to believe).