“The city is, rather than a state of mind, a body of customs and traditions” (Hahn ,2014, 31).

Understanding the space in which the performance is to take place is vital in embodying the history of the space in performance in order to create a piece that both explores the present whilst honoring the past. In order to gain a better understanding we visited the Central Library in Lincoln to access their local history section.

This allowed my group to gain a breadth of knowledge about the history of the Brayford that we can discuss as part of our audio tour. One aspect of information I found particularly interesting was the transcriptions of the Council’s previous plans for the Brayford as well as discussions on its state at the time the book were being written. I found many of these statements to be ironic especially when discussing the commercial state of the Brayford “Commercial use of the Pool has dwindled over the years and leisure boating has taken over”(Laidler, 1989). This is particularly ironic as one of the aims of our audio tour is to distract the participant away from the business and financially focused atmosphere the Brayford currently inhibits. The statement is also a stark reminder of the speed in which things change and develop over time with the previous statement being written less than thirty years ago.

The final audio piece will need to be an incorporation of current technologies and present day problems as well as historical remembrance.

Hahn, D. (2014) Performing Public Spaces, Staginig Collective Memory. TDR: The Drama Review, 58 (3) 27-38

Laidler, K.J. (1989) Brayford Wharf North: Opportunities for Development. Lincoln.