A dripping tap. A flickering light. The sound of someone munching crisps. Clutter. The ping of a notification.
Clusterflux are distracted. But what are we distracted from? Is the work we're making our object of focus, routinely interrupted by everyday life? Or is it the opposite, is our practice as a theatre company a welcome distraction from the reality of the world, from the neccesity of paid labour?
According to our research, distraction is the default of the brain. Survival instincts mean that we are hardwired to notice noise, to look towards moving light. But our focus is a limited resource, our attention a commodity that's very much in demand.
We live in a neoliberal society where progress is measured by productivity, where minutes are monetised and our value amounts to our utility. But what happens when we let the mind wander? Clusterflux are preparing to slip through the gaps of production. To embrace distraction as a tool for performance making, and idleness as an acquired state.
Over the next two weeks, we will be investigating interruptions, disruptions, deviations and distractions. We have a feeling, a sneaking suspicion, that it's in these gaps of production, in the daydreams, the doodles, the water cooler conversations - where the magic really happens.