Displacement Reflection Paper

Through the thematic exploration of displacement in Unit One, I had a more profound understanding of displacement. By relating the prevalent issue of displacement with elements of nature, I learned that displacement is part of human nature, and can cause external and internal conflict. Displacement has fire connotations : unpredictable, abrupt, powerful. Futhermore, displacement also has water connotations : uncontrolled, disastrous, suffocating. Through carrying out pratical explorations and using explorative strategies, I realized that the internal conflict displaced people go through are caused by external conflict. The internal conflict they go through can be represented by a dream sequence : surreal, wild, nightmarish, lost. However, a

We used contrast to embody the “empty space” felt by families who have someone displaced, portraying that when someone is displaced, a “shadow” of the person will be left behind and never be forgotten. We used two similar freeze frames at the start and end of the play - a family portrait with Me, Mahpara and Sean behind a frame during the “departure” freeze frame, while for the “arrival” freeze frame, Sean at the other end of the stage (displaced), me and Mahpara still in the family portrait with a blank space between us, to illustrate the long lasting and prevalent effect of displacement. When a person is displaced, it not only impacts the person him/herself, but it also impacts the family members or society that they are from. Synchronization was also effective in communicating emotion and isolating individuals for others, by having them unable to synchronize with others. During a subway scene, we used synchronized swaying motions because of the rocking motions of the train, and Sean always fails to synchronize with us, for example he would sway forward when we were swaying sideways, which was powerful because it isolated him even though we were all standing in a tiny area, provoking emotions of

Jai was the displaced person, shown by how every person apart from Jai had an expressionless mask on. The use of props(mask) instantly isolated Jai from the rest of the group, also communicating the idea that everyone is a stranger when a person is initially displaced. From a freeze frame, Matt, Manu and Mahpara, using exaggerated slow motion movements and synchronization, slowly “came to life”. They used eerie and distorted body movements, for example twisting the heads at unnatural angles, which I think was particularly effective because it captured the gothic mood in a nightmare, but also manifested how unnatural and even scary everything could be for a displaced person. They started surrounding and investigating Jai, who was lying lifeless on the ground, suggesting that for a built society, a newly displaced person from another culture could also be foreign to them, like an alien. This idea is exemplified in our group where I was displaced, and the other actors’ head would follow my movements, constantly staring at me, which made me feel like an outsider. Back to Jai’s group, the masked people started to make bizarre sounds, such as clicking tongue and sound of an owl hooting, contributing to the creepy atmosphere of the dream. Their movements started to become more violent and