Solo Project- Introduction to Performance Art

Thursday 16th January 2014


Today I have begun the exciting but slightly nerve-racking process of creating my first ever solo project. Nancy my tutor gave the whole class an overview on the development of performance art which is the type of style we are using within our solos. Performance Art is a form of art that combines visual art and dramatic performance. Performance Art is a form that developed from the work of visual artists during the the 60's. Live Art is a form of performance art which is used mostly in Europe. Live Art as a form of performance is inspired by visual art, experimentation and dance.

Nancy showed us a wide range of different performance artists works and their style  within it. We were introduced to Spalding Gray's work which is focused upon our own life experience as being the material for our own performances. Gray co founded the New York performance company The Wooster Group' in the late seventies. Gray created a trilogy of  autobiographical performances Sakonnet point, Rumstick Road and Nyatt School that all explored his own personal story. The trilogy of the performances that Grey created allowed Grey to develop the persona of Spalding and construct the monologue drawing his own history. The trilogy of performances that Grey created developed the autobiographical form of performance  .Grey's performance 'Rumstick Suicide' was a piece of autobiographical performance that explored his mothers own suicide.

We were also introduced to Yoko Ono's performance art. Ono's performance art developed out of her interest in conceptual art and her desire to explore the area of performance art. Ono's famous piece entitled ' Cut Piece' invited the audience to approach her and cut away a small section of the dress she was wearing. The performance was initially performed in Japan and London during the early sixties period. 'Cut piece' is often interpreted as a feminist piece of performance art that is examining how women are objectified by the patriarchal system that society is submerged in . Ono actual intention in creating and performing 'Cut piece' was to test her own commitment to living a life as an artist. Ono's piece of work was a performed concept and was related to the 'Fluxus' movement which wanted to integrate life with art.

We briefly also covered performance artists like Joseph Beuys who came from a visual arts background. Beuy's performance work often explored the idea of ritual and he took on the performance role of a shaman   .His work dealt with strong social and political messages such as environmental issues he made a piece 'Documenta 7' which called for people to plant 10,000 oak trees. Beuys formed the idea of 'social sculpture' which was the concept of seeing the world and our society itself as a form of art. Bueys believed that every individual could contribute creatively to this concept of social sculpture and he implemented this idea in 'Documenta 7' where he invited people once he had planted the first tree to plant the next tree.

Nancy introduced us to Marina Abramovic one of the most celebrated performance artists in the world. Ambromovic performance work explores endurance and duration her well known work 'Rhythm O' examined her audience endurance and her own endurance as her audience were invited to do what ever they wanted to do to her using a selection of objects that even included a gun. Abramovic's work is predominantly testing the boundaries between the performer and the spectator . Abramovic's work is often regarded as being highly symbolic such as the piece of work called 'The lovers' where she broke up with her partner on the great wall of china. Abramovic's work is considered to be focused upon duration and she has incorporated this concept with a social message in the piece 'Balkan Baroque'. Balkan Baroque examined the issue of social cleansing through Ambromovic's continuous scrubbing and disinfecting of bones.

Nancy also suggested many diverse and different ways we could perform our piece from our own particular talents, our physical limitations, our own fears, our own physical adeptness, our own

myths, our own issues of being objectified.

My mind is filled with endless ideas of what I want to examine and explore within this Solo and this brief introduction to performance artists has made me want to search for the best possible way or style  to perform and convey these ideas.

 I feel in these early weeks I truly need to absorb as much performance art as I can and test my ideas out to see if they fit with this type of performance style. I also need to firmly settle on what I want to actually explore. I am becoming increasingly interested in exploring my own mental limitation which is my dyscalculia so I need to look into this further.  I am increasingly wanting my solo to lean towards being as Schechner said 'story of the performer'.

Research
http://thewoostergroup.org/twg/projects/spald.html
http://imaginepeace.com/archives/2680
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Beuys#Artworks_and_performances

Allain and Harvie  (2006) The Routledge Companion to Theatre and Performance, Oxon, Routledge