Storylines explores the narratives of ‘Life Script’ as a concept developed in Transactional Analysis by psychotherapist Eric Berne.
Berne talks about how our life script is decided by us as children under 7 years old, and is then played out by our unconscious for the rest of our lives, unless we unravel the stories and untie the narratives.
Storylines examins the obvious and the less obvious storylines that thread through our lives shaping how we see ourselves, how we behave, how we respond.
An interesting and provocative installation, promoting self analysis and thought…
Visitor
Repurposing elements of a past career the work asks:
“Can we change our own stories and put down our own emotional baggage?”
Can you let go of the old messages?
Can you let go of old thoughts about yourself?
How would you feel if you let go of all the don’t’s and the not’s?
WHAT DRIVES YOU?
In TA work, the thought is that we are unconsciously driven by 5 main beliefs based on stories we heard about ourselves and how to function in the World. These ‘drivers’ can literally drive us into the ground unless we learn to tell ourselves a new story.
These are the 5 drivers:
Be Perfect
Be Strong
Try Hard
Please People
Hurry Up
Storylines shines a light on the way these narratives cloak us in repetitive thoughts and feelings about who we are.
Injunctions
As well as the 5 drivers there are 12 basic injunctions. They form a kind of wall of ’don’t’s’ that we can get shut behind, tied in by, bound in by, if we’ve negatively related to them. Often we have negatively related.
Who are you?
Who are you?
Who are you?
Who are you?
And so, layer upon layer of thoughts about who we think we are…
Threads, tying you in
Knotted strings of thoughts tied to you
Wrapping around you
Telling you who you are
Covering your skin
Wrapping you up
Holding you in
In Storylines a solitary figure stands, tied into her own current narrative and yet surrounded by the threads she’s disgarded, untangled and let go of.
Written on, stitched in, tied to…
What do you believe about yourself?
Who are you?
What binds you?
I’ve been a Massage Therapist for over 25years. I am fascinated by the ways in which we carry our history, our self-perceptions, the stories we hold about ourselves on and within our bodies, on and within our tissues, knotted on, bound in.
Work in progress…
Performative work of Storylines is in development asking the questions…