📚 Artificial Things — 6a.1
Stimulus, Intent & Approach
Where the work came from · What it is trying to say · How it was made
📚 What you'll learn on this page
- Identify and describe all three stimuli for Artificial Things
- Explain the choreographic intent of Scene Three in detail
- Describe Lucy Bennett's collaborative choreographic approach
- Use the DLIE framework accurately in 6-mark and 12-mark answers
6a.1.1 The Stimulus
A stimulus is what sparks the creative work. Artificial Things grew from three sources of inspiration — each one shaping different parts of the design, movement and intent.
1
The Snow Globe Image
⭐ Most to discuss
The embryonic image for Artificial Things as a whole was a snow-covered urban landscape with an isolated figure perched on a collapsed wheelchair. This figure is being observed from afar — as if through a snow globe.
This single image connects to almost everything in the work: the set design, the lighting, the movement and the intent. When writing about stimulus in a 12-mark question, this one gives you the most to explore.
2
Goran Djurovic Paintings
Design & imagery
The mysterious paintings of Serbian artist Goran Djurovic (from his Untold Secrets collection) influenced the design, costume and choreographic images within all three scenes.
The heavily streaked backdrop — with paint appearing to run down the canvas — is a direct visual reference to his paintings. The Family Portraits section of Scene Three echoes the frozen, isolated figures in his work.
3
The Dancers' Personal Experiences
Movement material
The dancers' personal experiences provided inspiration for the choreographic tasks.
Most significantly: Dave Toole's solo is a direct tribute to his father, who used to sing 'The Sunshine of Your Smile' in working men's clubs in Leeds. The lip sync that ends the scene is one of the most personal moments in the work.
Analogy Anchor — The Snow Globe
Picture a snow globe: the figures inside are enclosed, observed from outside, and cannot escape. They exist in a world that looks beautiful from the outside but is cold, artificial and constricting from within. This image is the key that unlocks everything else in the piece — set, lighting, costume, movement and intent all trace back to it.
✍️ Test Yourself — The Stimulus
4 questions. Select your answer for each, then submit.
1. What was the embryonic (starting) image for Artificial Things?
2. Which artist's paintings influenced the design, costume and choreographic images across all three scenes?
3. What was the name of Goran Djurovic's painting collection that influenced the work?
4. The third stimulus was the dancers' personal experiences. Which dancer's solo most directly connects to this?
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6a.1.2 Choreographic Intent
Choreographic intent is what Lucy Bennett wants the audience to understand. Scene Three is the final scene — the aftermath of Scene Two's violence. The mood is described in the AQA fact file as sorrowful but peaceful.
The mood of Scene Three — these are the AQA mood words:
sorrowful
peaceful
isolated
constricted
regretful
bleak
wintry
cold
hopeful
The undertone of Scene Three is about the characters coming to terms with life's limitations — we all live within certain confinements, and we are subject to the gaze of 'the other'. Within the scene, the characters find a resolution by coming together, and as the scene comes to a close, they surrender to the fact that we all have to live with individual regrets.
— Paraphrased from the AQA Anthology Fact File for Artificial ThingsTap each intention to unpack what it means for the exam:
We all live within certain confinements — physical, emotional, social. The characters in Scene Three represent this. They don't escape their limitations, but they move towards acceptance. The arc of the scene — from isolated duet to group resolution — embodies this directly.
In the exam: You can link almost any production feature to this. Lighting that closes down = confinement. Lighting that opens up = resolution. The wheelchair duet = working within limitation. The group lip sync = resolution through togetherness.
'The other' is the person looking in from outside — the audience, or people in society who observe disabled people without truly understanding their experience. The snow globe image is central here: the characters are seen, enclosed, displayed — like figures in a case.
In the exam: The vitrine (glass display cabinet), the circular pools of light, the wooden border around the floor — all link to the idea of being observed and enclosed.
The clearest moment of resolution is Dave Toole's solo. He lip syncs the song, forgets the words — and the whole group lip syncs for him. They hold him. They carry his memory. This is the moment the entire scene has been building towards: not escape from limitation, but acceptance supported by others.
In the exam: This is the most powerful example of resolution and is directly linked to the intent.
Despite finding resolution, the characters do not escape. They surrender within the snow globe — not breaking free, but accepting what is. The final tableau freezes them like figures in a Djurovic painting. The set, lighting and structure all close down around them to reinforce this.
In the exam: The word 'surrender' is powerful here. Use it: "the characters surrender to the fact that we all live with individual regrets."
Examiner's Eye
Learn the mood words. Examiners are looking for precise vocabulary. "Sorrowful but peaceful" is better than "sad." "Constricted" is better than "trapped." These exact words come from the AQA fact file and belong in your answers.
✍️ Test Yourself — Choreographic Intent
Fill in the gaps using the word bank. Click a word to select it, then click the blank you want to fill. Click a filled blank to clear it.
✏️ Complete the sentences
Scene Three explores life's ___ and the ___ to these. The characters remain ___ within a snow globe, subject to the gaze of 'the ___'. They find a ___ by coming together, and ___ to the fact that we all have to live with individual regrets.
Word bank — click to select, then click a blank:
Which two words does the AQA fact file use to describe the overall mood of Scene Three?
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6a.1.3 Choreographic Approach
Lucy Bennett's choreographic approach is collaborative. This means the dancers actively contribute to the creative process. Below are the four key aspects of how she works — and how they connect to each other.
Collaborative
Lucy Bennett uses a collaborative approach. She films improvisation sessions, selects movement, and uses contact work springboard workshops to generate material with the dancers.
Task-Based
Stopgap's dancers are encouraged to actively contribute to the process through choreographic tasks that Bennett initiates. The tasks provide a framework; the dancers fill it with their own movement ideas.
Dancer-Led
Much of the material in Scene Three has been driven by Laura Jones's movement in her wheelchair. Using 'Unison of Textures' — the standing dancers find their own version of Laura's vocabulary rather than simply copying it.
Translated
Laura's wheelchair movement is translated by the standing dancers David Willdridge and Amy Butler. They do not imitate — they interpret. This creates an inclusive movement vocabulary unique to this company.
Unison of Textures
This is the key phrase for the approach. Bennett doesn't ask the standing dancers to mimic Laura — she asks them to find their own version of what she does. The result is a kind of movement dialogue: different bodies, different vocabularies, one shared intention.
Examiner's Eye
The key word is collaborative. Always state this first. Then develop: "Bennett initiates choreographic tasks, and the material is driven by Laura Jones's wheelchair movement, which the standing dancers translate." That sentence earns marks at every level.
✍️ Test Yourself — Choreographic Approach
3 questions on the collaborative approach. Select all answers then submit.
1. Which one word best describes Lucy Bennett's overall choreographic approach?
2. Whose movement in her wheelchair drove much of the material in Scene Three?
3. What is 'Unison of Textures'?
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6a.1.4 DLIE Explained
DLIE is the framework for answering Section C questions. Every answer you write should use some or all of these four elements — which ones you use depends on the mark value of the question.
D
Describe
FACT
What can you see or hear? Use specific detail.
This is objective — it describes what is actually there, not what it means.
No special starter needed — just describe precisely.
L
Link
FACT
How does it connect to the choreographic intent, stimulus or mood?
This is still factual — it connects the feature to the purpose of the work.
Starter: "This links to the intent of…" / "This connects to the stimulus of…"
I
Interpret
OPINION
What could it mean or symbolise?
This is your personal view — there is no single right answer, but it must be supported with evidence.
Starter: "This could suggest…" / "In my opinion…"
E
Evaluate
OPINION
What impact does it have on the audience?
This is an opinion about effectiveness — how well does it achieve its purpose?
Starter: "This is effective because…" / "This creates impact because…"
Which elements for which question?
6-mark — 'Explain' question
Use Describe and Link only.
D Describe
L Link
No interpretation or evaluation needed at this level.
12-mark — 'Discuss' question
Use all four elements.
D Describe
L Link
I Interpret
E Evaluate
Interpretation and evaluation are essential to reach the top mark bands.
Examiner's Eye
Section C is worth 40% of the written exam (32 marks total). You must include Interpret and Evaluate to access the top mark bands in a 12-mark question. Many students describe well but fail to interpret — this is where marks are left on the table.
✍️ Test Yourself — DLIE
Match each DLIE letter to its correct definition. Click an item on the left, then click its match on the right.
Click a letter on the left, then click the matching definition on the right. Lines connect your pairs. All four matched = auto-check.
The Letter
D — Describe
L — Link
I — Interpret
E — Evaluate
What it means
What it could mean or symbolise — your opinion, starting with "This could suggest…"
What can you see or hear? Specific detail — this is a fact.
What impact does it have on the audience? Starting with "This is effective because…"
How it connects to the choreographic intent, stimulus or mood.
A 6-mark 'explain' question requires which elements?
Screenshot your score and add it to your ePortfolio.
6a.1.5 💜 What Does This Mean to You?
💜 Your Personal Interpretation
There are no right or wrong answers here. These prompts are about your personal response to the work. In the exam, your interpretation is what can take you to the top mark bands — examiners want to hear your voice.
Prompt 1 — Stimulus
Which of the three stimuli resonates most with you, and why? What does the snow globe image mean to you personally?
Prompt 2 — Intent
Do you think Lucy Bennett achieves her intent? What moment in the clips you've watched makes you feel she does — or doesn't?
Prompt 3 — Approach
What do you think about Laura Jones's movement being the source material that the standing dancers translate? Does this feel inclusive or different from what you might expect?
💡 Your response is not saved automatically — copy it into your ePortfolio or revision notes to keep it.
📌 Revisit This — Key Points from This Page
Stimulus 1Snow-covered landscape — isolated figure on collapsed wheelchair, observed as if through a snow globe
Stimulus 2Goran Djurovic's Untold Secrets paintings — influenced design, costume & choreographic images
Stimulus 3Dancers' personal experiences — especially Dave Toole's tribute to his father
IntentLife's limitations and resolutions; gaze of 'the other'; constricted within snow globe; resolution by coming together
ApproachCollaborative — task-based, dancer-led (Laura's wheelchair), translated by standing dancers. 'Unison of Textures'.
DLIED = Describe (fact) · L = Link (fact) · I = Interpret (opinion) · E = Evaluate (opinion). 6-mark = D+L · 12-mark = all four
6a.1.6 Revision Check
✍️ Revision Check
10 questions covering stimulus, intent, approach and DLIE. Answer all ten, then submit.
1. The embryonic image for Artificial Things was a figure on a collapsed wheelchair, observed as if through what?
2. Which of these was NOT one of the three stimuli for Artificial Things?
3. Which two mood words does the AQA fact file use to describe Scene Three?
4. What does the choreographic intent say the characters do at the end of Scene Three?
5. What is Lucy Bennett's choreographic approach?
6. Whose wheelchair movement was the primary source material for Scene Three?
7. What does the D in DLIE stand for?
8. Which elements of DLIE are classified as OPINION (not fact)?
9. Which sentence starter belongs to an INTERPRET point?
10. In a 12-mark 'discuss' question, which elements of DLIE must you include?
Take a screenshot of your score and paste it into your ePortfolio document so your teacher can see your progress.