The Empty Space

Reflections on the Empty Space or How an Environment Can Encourage More Willful and Bold Behaviors.

The illustration is taken from the cover of the book The Empty Space: Writings on Theatre by Peter Brook.

 

The Blank Page

We’ve all faced that paralyzing feeling of uncertainty at one point or another: in front of a blank page, but also at the start of a new project. Where do I begin? Where am I going? Will I make it?

This anxiety of the blank page is a vertigo. It is the emptiness that frightens us. A void made even more frightening because we must project ourselves into it imminently.

But what chills us in this emptiness is paradoxically an overflow: it is, in fact, the infinity of possibilities that lies before us.

When we ask “where to begin,” it’s not because there’s no path, but because there are too many. It’s this incredible freedom that throws us off.

The blank page syndrome is the expression of anxiety, doubt. It’s the fear of risk and failure. It’s the difficulty of the creative act, which consists of daring, taking risks, and making choices.

 

The Bungee Jump

The act of jumping, the shift toward action, is a crucial step.

Like in bungee jumping. We hesitate, we tremble, and at a precise moment, our will takes over and we leap into the void.

Behind this somewhat pointless act of bravery lies a true transformation. The person has proven to themselves that they can surpass their limits, overcome their fears, and they take away a real sense of pride.

This pride is, of course, magnified when it’s a group, as collective pride adds to the individual one.

 

The Empty Space

An empty space holds the same meanings as the blank page and the bungee jump. It is both intimidating and an invitation to explore, to project ourselves into it.

Notice that a “full” space, on the other hand, furnished and inhabited, sends the opposite message. Every arrangement, every piece of furniture, every trinket is the materialization of others' choices, a path that is foreign to us and which it would be inappropriate to challenge.

In the empty space, literally, nothing or almost nothing preexists. Everything is to be written.

 

Dungeons & Dragons

Let’s try to transpose these concepts into a concrete experience. It’s about scripting a journey aimed at bringing a group from the status of unfortunate partners to that of teammates – a real live-action role-playing game.

“The scene unfolds in a space stripped of all furniture. Nothing remains. Only a perfect white parallelepiped, a mysterious artifact, stands at the center of the space.

The doors open, our adventurers move forward, a little bewildered by the emptiness of the space. They check the room number doubtfully. It’s indeed the right one. They step forward cautiously. On the floor, they find work instructions. Clearly, something’s wrong…

The group is a bit perplexed. They have a mission to complete, but clearly, they’re lacking an appropriate working environment. So, what to do?”

Faced with this unique situation, our adventurers must gather their courage and, through cunning and opportunistic collaboration, find the solution to this puzzle.

The boldest of the group will eventually glance at the Tetrix cubes (yes, those cubes) placed at the center of the room. After a thorough inspection, they’ll grab them to make a seat, soon imitated by the rest of the group.

Ten minutes later, facing the growing need for a writing surface, our group will return to the stockpile of cubes and realize that there are also erasable surfaces as well as cushions, handy accessories whose presence had eluded them until then.

And so, for the rest of the seminar, this group will autonomously build whatever they need, whenever they need it, to move forward in their adventure.

 

Conclusion:

At the beginning of my career, the work environment was extremely codified. The space was prepared upon the participants’ arrival: the number of chairs, their placement, even the arrangement of colored markers (brown, purple, red on the left, and green, black, blue on the right, with red and blue on top, if my memory serves me correctly) was predefined and devoutly respected. It was a “full” space.

Full of processes, full of intentions, full of graphic metaphors, books, shelves filled with various objects.

This short reflection on the empty space offers an alternative: a minimal, sober, slightly austere space. A space that belongs to those who work within it.

It is also the beginning of a conversation... The comment section is here for that.