I guess… if I’d brought along a rifle, point it towards my right foot and shoot myself into the foot in front of all of you.

I guess… if suddenly it started to snow in this studio space. Outside it would be dark and raining, but in here it would be snowing heavily.

I guess… if the doors opened and a real elephant came in and just stood there, gazing at you and you were gazing back. And then after a little while he would be leaving again – as if nothing had happened.

The first idea for this show came up when I went through a pile of articles and papers in my friend Duncan’s studio more than a year ago. Suddenly I held this article in my hand from the Independent, introducing to ’30 ways to improve your Memory’. Reading through it I noticed how theatrical some of the Memory exercises are and how well they could work in a performance context. The idea took shape to create a performance that asks the audience to remember the event by simply practicing some memory exercises with me.   

I’ve been interested in ideas on memory for the past few years now. For my performance ‘Being Here While Not Being Here’ for instance, which I presented at the National Platform of SPILL Festival in 2009, I tried to retrace my experience of fainting on stage in a performance in 2004, by asking several witnesses to write down their personal memories of the accident. These different perspectives of remembering including my own, were then used to understand, re-vive, re-stage the incident that had such a strong impact on my life for several years.

The different perspectives on memory are also playing a vital role in my new project ‘I guess if the stage exploded…’ which will premiere at the Barbican as part of SPILL Festival on 22 April 11. I met up with a scientist from Bristol Neuroscience to find out about brain processes involved in the creation of memories, with a lecturer from the Experimental Psychology Department at University of Bristol to investigate characteristics of collective memories and with a researcher from the Centre for Death and Society at University of Bath to understand our urge to be remembered. I asked them all for advise from their discipline perspectives on how to make my performance remembered. Each of the researchers were also asked about a moment on stage they might never forget. The lecturer from the Experimental Psychology department answered: ‘I guess if the stage exploded, I wouldn’t forget that’ and this is how the title of my performance was born.

Originally I had this fixed idea of bringing a live elephant on stage. Not only would that probably have been an unforgettable event, but also I love the idea that an elephant never forgets. The technical staff at the Barbican were already fully prepared for the event and an elephant was found via an agency. However a few weeks ago it turned out the elephant was no longer available for a performance on stage. Apparently difficulties with licenses. And I had been so close! Never mind, I will still try to do my best to follow the possibly impossible task to create a show never to be forgotten by the audience. I will need the audience’s help for that, that’s for sure!

Sylvia Rimat's 'I guess if the stage exploded…' will premiere at The Barbican's The Pit, as part of SPILL Festival, from 22 - 23 April, 3pm.