Lorenza Peragine
Museum Choreography
PhD Submission. University of Roehampton, School of Arts / TECHNE.
V&A live scoring
Live Typing
Score 1 - Bums, backs, hair
Little girl. She’s touching the statue’s bum.
Another little girl puts her hand to her mouth when she sees the statue’s bum.
Yawning.
Still drawing.
Humming a song and does small dance with the hands and torso.
Very long, dark, shiny hair, to her buttocks.
Necks forward, chicken/bird style.
Swinging hips in a camp way.
Very straight backs but they can still fast walk fast?
Apron walking past – someone who works in the café?
Wearing lots of small handbags, phone charger cables coming out.
Gallery attendant. Sitting down. Wears a Covid-type mask in a leopard-skin pattern.
Shiny, white blouse and deliberately over-sized tie.
V&A-branded wheelchair, very thick-framed glasses.
Very-long-hair-to-her-buttocks comes back. She has light blue Converse trainers.
Very curved back and head forward, smiles.
Two intent looks, perhaps debating what the sculpture might be? They seem perplex.
Still drawing.
Another child points to the statue’s bum. Or its crouch?
Three women, wearing all black, Hijabs, and sneakers.
Both very long hair, holding hands, he and he.
Very neat braids, closely tied to the skull.
Curved back and head forward, lingering. Inspects small sculptures in the glass case.
Touching the statue’s muscles of the torso. Taking a pic next to the torso. The poser is a muscle-y young man. Hinting at similarity?
Touching nose of the statue.
Score 3 - Fan-opened hands, airy fingers
He is drawing next to me. Companion in sitting and drawing.
Tears come into my eyes. (Distraction).
A man squeezes in between the person drawing and me.
I uncross my legs. He raises an open hand and murmurs ‘Sorry’.
Looking at phone, intently. And looking back at the statue. Speaks to her child. About the statue? Looks at the images on her phone. Finding information about it?
A group of 4. She smiles, pleased, rubs her tongue on the upper lip. A sense of cosy-ness between the 5. 5, not 4. Now raises her open fingers in the air. Puts her hands, open palms on to her ears. But not ‘for real’.
Stops. Brushes nose with open hand. Moves on.
Thick bomber jacket walks past, directional.
Disposable camera. ‘Click’. They have that cardboard around them. Hadn’t seen one in years.
Taking a pic with phone. Flutters his fingers over the screen, in an elegant way. To focus?
Raises eyebrows looking at the statue from about 1.5 metres distance. Walks around to another. Raises eyebrows again.
Plats run diagonally down her round cheeks. And makes a big O yawn.
Holds her fist close to her chest. Carries it around, and over to her friend. They look at the statue again.
Massages the rim of her coat with her fingers. Points two fingers, gently tracing in the air the contours of the statue.
Index+thumb circling around, to demonstrate something to her kid (almost an adult).
Looks around, looks at him once more, looks away. He looks at her. Now they both look at me, looking at them.
Kneeling down, desperately throwing his arms into the sky. (But it’s a statue).
Eyes set downwards, looking diagonally over his shoulder. He is looking at us - the drawing person, and me. Looking at our notebooks?
Casts gaze away, stops halfway, then further away. To prove he is not looking at me?
Big yawn.
Bends down to read the label, crossing his arms behind his back – the frills of his leather jakcet fall gently over his upper arm.
She stops and puts her backpack on the bench, right next to me. She takes out leather gloves, and puts them on. Walks away.
I ask the drawing person to take a picture of what they drew.
Score 2 - Empty space
Bright orange jacket carrying a radiator.
Quick pace, heels, resolute.
Heading somewhere important.
Circling head around. Wa(-o)ndering head.
They ask where to drop her suitcase for the visit.
Empty space, dramatic gestures of the statues resonate aloud.
Still with the suitcase.
With headphones – of an audio-guide? And a transparent bag with a gift inside – from the museum shop?
Luminous vest. He’s worked here for years.
Intent look, hands crossed behind back. Glasses. Looks down.
Shiny pink coat. Young girl. Maybe 8-9?Pink hair now. Cut short. Female-presenting. Sripe-y long-sleeved top. Purple hair walks past and joins her. Both wearing trainers. Maybe her daughter?
Talks on the phone. Walking past quickly. Waiting for an answer? Like she has been put on hold.
Sorting his jacket out on the bench so he could walk around.
His partner points at the label. They move next to the statue. She points to another label.
Fan-open hand hovering over the statue’s image.
Explaining to him what she sees?
Walks up to the statue, quickly. Takes a picture of it, walks away, quickly.
There is a tiny, chubby statue of a man. Very small, but representing a big man. Schooooolchildreeeen!!!!!!!!!
Lazy trainers walking past.Short shiny dark hair walks past. Looking upwards and walking forward, fast.
Inspired and directional. Empty space again.
The statue’s small penus is right in my line of sight.
The head is detached from the body, falling from the neck, and hanging from one side of the torso, coming out of one of his pecs. (But it’s a statue)
Thick-framed glasses…. Music from the Naomi Campbell’s exhibition shop inhabits awkwardly this empty space.
Ladies taking their coats off and leaving their bags on one of the statue’s pedestals (they are not allowed?!?)(I know because I used to work here, but I can’t say anything now)
The Gallery Assistant now tells them.
‘Sorry’.
Dragging feet. Head forward. One strap of her backpack sliding on to the upper arm. They decide to leave.
Pacing cautiously. One after the other.
She stops. Intrigued. And her ‘people’ stop with her. Her family?
She puts something on the bench - next to me - A sheet of paper - before she sits on it.
Crosses arms, suspicious. Looks around before going back to join those two. Not happy to be here?
Holds a raincoat, tightly folded into a small packet, and holds it close to his chest.
Pulls an arm way up, diagonally, to put the jacket on.
Runner’s legs, smoothly and easily unfolding forward, from the knees to the toes. Wearing shorts and sneakers.
Wears a headpiece, with a mic going around the side of her face. Oh! She is giving an audio tour. 3 people with her, with a lanyard around their neck and a micro digital device attached to their year? Yes...they are all listening to her! But she is so close to them...
She limps forward. He limps behind her. He is using a stick. Knees slightly bent.
Very red lipstick. Shiny ‘new hair’ done. Eyebrows done perfect.