In the first line of her 1993 essay titled ‘The Ontology of Performance: Representation without Reproduction’ Peggy Phelan writes that “performance’s only life is in the present”. She argues that once the live act is documented it ceased to be performance art as it ‘betrays the promise of its own ontology’, while being reproduced with the motive of wider circulation and prolonged life-span. She refers to the original purpose for which performance art was developed as a form, namely to resist commodification and escape the art market’s control and dictates. This argument highlights the first issue with performance documentation which is ideological. By using words such as ‘betrayal’, Phelan suggests there might be rules to working against the system, which in her view is one of the key characteristics of performance art. By succumbing to the pressures and the lure of the market, through the means of documentation available for circulation after the one-time-only event is finished, such performance in her eyes loses its ‘distinctive oppositional edge’. Another problem with documentation she …show more content…
The following essay will attempt to defend the usefulness of documentation in relation to performance art. Keeping Phelan’s critique and objections in mind, the essay will examine the relationship between the live act of performance and its documentation, by analysing different types of and motives behind recording performance pieces. Through discussion of practical, creative and political reasons and benefits of performance documentation, the essay intends to prove that despite Phelan’s primary thesis, documentation is a valuable, and often an essential part of performance
In “Jennifer and Rachel,” Lee M. Silver argues that reproductive cloning deems permissible to those who encourage it, as opposed to those who reject it and don’t want to run the risk of how they’ll look in the eyes of society. Jennifer, an independent career driven woman, believes that the best way to have a baby of her own at her age is by cloning. Silver’s description of the cloning procedure is done by retrieving cells from the willing adult; prepare the cells for merging to unfertilized eggs, and then the embryos that develop successfully will be introduced to the uterus of the willing adult. Jennifer partakes in the cloning procedure and it was successful. Nine months later on March 15, 2050, Rachel was born.
People usually expect to see paintings and sculptures in Art Galleries. Imagine the surprise one finds when they are presented with a man stitching his face into a bizarre caricature, or connected to a machine which controls the artist’s body. These shocking pieces of performance art come under the broad umbrella that is Postmodernism. Emphasis on meaning and shock value has replaced traditional skills and aesthetic values evident in the earlier Modernist movements.
In her 1997 article “Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring physical disability in American culture and literature” Rosemarie Garland Thomson explores the spectacle that was the 19th and 20th-century freak show. According to Thomson, the American freak show served as a “figure of otherness upon which spectators could displace anxieties and uncertainties about their own identities” (Thomson). The stars of the show were seen as freaks of culture, often crippled by medical deformities that left them on the periphery of society (Thomson). It was these spectacles that gave the American people one collective identity, helping distance themselves from the “anarchic body” that was being paraded. (Thomson). Although the traditional model of the freak show met its death in the 1950s, the Jim Rose Circus managed to successfully reinvent the spectacle for a 21st-century audience.
Throughout the years, America has pursued the performing arts in a large variety of ways. Theatre plays a dramatic and major role in the arts of our society today, and it takes great effort in all aspects. Musical Theatre, specifically, involves a concentration and strength in dance, acting, and singing. This is the base that Musical Theatre is built upon. For my Senior Project, I helped choreograph multiple scenes in a community musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Choreography is a way of expressing oneself, but it has not always been thought of for that purpose. Agnes de Mille’s expressive talent has drastically affected how people see choreography today. Agnes de Mille’s influence in the world of dance has left a lasting impact in the Performing Arts Department, and her revolutionary works are still known today for their wit, lyricism, emotion, and charm.
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory." Theatre Journal 40.4 (1988): 519-31. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 11 May 2011.
The details of intense experiences are often times not easily lost to others who acknowledge secondhand wonder when it is conveyed passionately. In other words, there are stimulating occurrences within even the most mundane lifetime that provide incredible sensory and a life changing incentive. Furthermore, this experience has the overwhelming power to convince others to pursue that event’s awe. An example of such an influential event is expertly playing an instrument and marching deliberately within The Pride of the Devils in front of a populous crowd. The primary reveal of The Pride’s strength is portrayed within the time-withstanding moments of the pregame exhibition as well as the enduring image of the half-time show. Because of the precise
In understanding the art form of expression in various ways like music and play writes, it brings together this sense of self identity that the artist wants to fulfill. Having this understanding about the life behind the scene, screen, and/or stage. My paper will present two art forms music by 50 cent “Many Men” and William Shakespeare play “Macbeth” in which I will describe similarities among the characters. My four categories for 50 cent and Macbeth are as follow Greed, Savage, Survivor and Success.
...re as same as the audience use in their everyday life. Easily connecting to the audience, with visual, audio and performer’s performance” one can imagine himself/herself in performer’s shoes.
Putman, D. (1990). THE AESTHETIC RELATION OF MUSICAL PERFORMER AND AUDIENCE. British Journal of Aesthetics. 30 (4), 1-2.
Butler, Judith. Ed. Case, Sue-Ellen. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution." Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and Theatre. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.
...o the performer, as a creative artist, but it also helps to bond the group of collaborators to create a more dynamic and personal relationship, which is reflected in performance. Every single devised theatre company is different from one another because the works created by the company are unique to the performers and collaborators for the company. “Devised theatre offers the performer the chance to explore and express personal politics or beliefs in the formation and shaping of the piece.” (Alison Oddey 11). Devised theatre holds importance today because it gives an outlet to the performer to be able to express their political views which is relevant to the climate of the time. This type of theatre is often about more than performing pieces that are created by the group, there are often elements of current culture, whether they are political, social, or economic.
The criticism relies on two assumptions. One, that rhetoric creates reality, and two, that convergence occurs. With regards to rhetoric creating reality we are to assume that the symbolic forms that are created from the rhetoric are not imitations but organs of reality. This is because it is through their agency that anything becomes real. We assume to that convergence occurs because symbols not only create reality for individuals but that individual’s meanings can combine to create a shared reality for participants. The shared reality then provides a basis for the community of participants to discuss their common experiences and to achieve a mutual understanding. The consequence of this is that the individuals develop the same attitudes and emotions to the personae of the drama. Within this criticism the audience is seen as the most critical part because the sharing of the message is seen as being so significant.
performance to a major degree reflects the spirit of the times, and some of today's 'authentic' performances have less to do with historical accuracy, attempting rather to produce a performance which, in John Eliot Gardiner's words, will 'excite modern listeners.' (Sartorius)
Thom, P (1992), For an Audience: A Philosophy of the Performing Arts (Arts and Their Philosophies), Temple University Press