Group Two- Performance and Video

Our group read "Performance, Video, and Trouble in the Home" by Kathy O'Dell and "Untitled" by Joan Jonas. In addition to exploring some of the concepts that O'Dell talks about and using "Untitled" as a reference, we are also going to explore other kinds of performance, including group, individual, and gestural performance.

In "Performance, Video, and Trouble in the Home", there are four major concepts that O'Dell talks about: body function, the mirror stage, performative video versus traditional performance, and how the video relates to domestic spaces.

Body Function:
In performance, the body functions as a chief medium through which the audience identifies with the artist. This can be seen in Vito Acconci's, "Claim". In this piece, the audience first sees Acconci through a monitor, as he is blindfolded and swinging a bat, repeating phrases systematically.

The Mirror Stage:
In video, screens and mirrors act as a disjunctive element to the performer. That degree of separation keeps the viewer from being able to completely identify with the artist. In "Claim", the viewer sees the representation of Acconci first, then is able to be in the same room as him, but since he was already initially perceived on the screen, his actual body becomes the representation, whereas the screen is the presentation.

Performance video vs traditional performance:
Traditional is the presentation of a performance and video is the representation, meaning it can be shown exactly the same again and again while traditional has one run through and each other showing will differ.

Domestic Spaces:
Video art naturally tends towards domestic ideas. The creation of video work is usually done indoors and at home for most artists. This familiar location and inhabited space lends to the idea of domestic space. Domestic environments and video become intertwined when the video is displayed. The presence of a television creates a home environment. It calls ideas of rest, relaxation, and comfort. When televisions are located in a gallery then this concept can be confused. The space of a gallery is abstract and alternative to a home environment yet the video evokes these ideas.

Links and Artists to look at:

Vito Acconci
http://www.ubu.com/film/acconci.html
Claim excerpt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_8SMBSnoh8


Stelarc
http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/
The Body is Obsolete:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OKEfJRe4uys&feature=related
"Exoskeleton":
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yuzGraK_ldI&feature=related


Miranda July
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DAUx8-UJ3fE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JAb4kGDhyVo


Paul McCarthy
http://www.ubu.com/film/mccarthy.html


Chris Burden
http://www.ubu.com/film/burden.html

Pipilotti Rist
http://www.ubu.com/film/rist.html

Dan Graham
Mirror Stage example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl4QBpR9vfI&feature=related
Sound from Performer/Audience/Mirror
http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/graham_dan/Graham-Dan_Performer-Audience-Mirror.mp3
http://www.ubu.com/sound/graham.html


Performance Collectives

Type Explosion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27HnzOI4NWk

Vegetable Orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpfYt7vRHuY

Flux Factory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_oi_qLlTcE

Forcefield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zexzRKCTVU



Lindsay Knauff, Lauren D'Apuzzo, Karen Cipes, Ben Ketnick