checking in/out

On 5-6 May we were using the idea of catalogue cards for keeping track of the performers' activities. I liked that idea of using an artefact from libraries; the idea of checking in and checking out also intrigues me.

Right now in our dept we have a battle with the university library: when we move buildings next year our on-site music library will be integrated into the main library (which is called an 'information commons' and has no walls for hanging pictures, but lots of windows). The dispute is about the instrumental music, which they're refusing to take on the basis that they have no system for checking in sets of parts that belong to one 'item'. At the same time, Dave is working on a system to check out recording equipment by using barcodes and a database. So as I was out walking just now (it's a beautiful clear cold winter's day) I was - for some reason - populated by these thoughts and started to think about that idea of checking in and checking out and its potential as a playful element of theatre. In 'the aleph' and in 'john wilkins' Borges makes extraordinary lists of things to be found in the universe, a kind of catalogue of the library. I started to think about performers checking in and out of the stage area, accompanied by a text description appearing on a screen (person with no name, person with a name beginning with x, person who has climbed the three highest mountains on south of the equator, person who has dreamed the tango, person who has outrun the tortoise, etc. etc. etc); or perhaps a single character that busies him/herself with checking stuff (random objects) in and out, bizzare objects; or perhaps checking in the materials that are to be used to build the set; or all of these.

Anyway this is just to check that thought into the library that is this blog, for the dust to settle on perhaps, or for us to explore further!