Select an example of performance art
(you may select another artist that was presented at the lecture)
1. Improv Everywhere - Frozen Grand Central
2. James Luna - American Indian artifact
3. Marina Abramovic - Imponderability
4. Miele Ukeles - Hartford Wash
5. Yes Men - Impersonating Corporations
Describe what you saw. How does this artwork challenge the viewer in a way that differs from a conventional artwork and how does it utilize the performative and live aspect.
I think performance pieces are so interesting just because they include the minds of outsiders. I tend to imagine myself in the situation to see how i react, and i think trying to guess peoples reactions definitely makes it interesting to watch. Its incredible the power that just a group of people obstructing normalcy can create such a powerful reaction from every day people. in the video Frozen Grand Central, a vast amount of people just stop in grand central. I liked this video most because i live in new york and worked there this summer, and would actually go through grand central twice a day. That being said, i know how busy/ hectic it can get, so seeing this improv was slightly humorous/shocking since its a public place where thousands of people are constantly going about their every day lives NOT expecting something like this to happen. Over all, i thoroughly enjoyed this video and look forward to making my own.
ReplyDeleteDuring Improv Everywhere many people were walking in Grand Central Station and at a certain time they all froze. They stood there for 5 minutes while the viewers just stared and were completely confused. Then they all resumed at different times as if they were just frozen there the whole time. It was really interesting to see the reaction of the viewers because they were so confused. This differs from a conventional art work because the viewers are part of the work. They are the piece that makes it successful or not. If the viewers didn't react the way they did then it wouldn't have been as interesting or entertaining for the performance and the other viewers. THis art also really makes the viewer question themselves and their logic. For example in this piece the viewers were confused as to why these performers were frozen. It confused them and made them seem as though they were an outsider on some joke. Performance art has some instant gratification because the performer is able to see the immediate reaction from the viewers. it also makes it more exciting to have something live and realistic surrounding the viewer.
ReplyDeleteImprov Everywhere- Frozen Grand Central
ReplyDeleteIn this performance, hundreds of people engage in art by freezing themselves like statues at one of the biggest and busiest transit stations in New York City. This performance challenged people walking through to ponder what was happening, and to observe their surroundings more closely than they would on an average day at the train. Frozen Grand Central differs from conventional artwork by the fact that it is still, but uses living, moving objects to create temporary sculptures in a place out of the ordinary. This piece is all about context (as with any performance piece) and engages the viewer to become part of the piece too by pushing him to observe the stage more closely. Simply by doing nothing in a place where one would be moving, they are performing by counter-acting the live aspects of the train station. Frozen Grand Central really captivated those walking through and spurred thought on all the things people do while simply walking through a forum.
In Marina Abramovic's piece "Imponderabilia", Marina sets an obstacle of a couple confined within a space, a space that is used for many people.The couple are completely nude and the audience has to walk in between them choosing a side to face towards. The piece has to different viewpoints. You could either be the audience walking through, or the audience looking at others walking through. Because it is live, it provokes a sense or reality being that it has somewhat of a "last minute" quality to it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite performance piece that was shown yesterday in lecture was Stephan Koplowitz's piece 'Dartington'. It was a dance performance outside where a group of dancers all wearing blue shirts and black bottoms performed simple, repeated, choreography that played with the landscape they were in. Although the majority of the choreography was not very difficult, it was fluid and random and created this amazing movement that was mezmorizign to watch. At times, one person would be singled out and perform individually. The girl who did so at the beginning was beautiful to watch as she descended down the stairs. This contrast of group movement vs. individual worked really well the the concept of water. This artwork challenges the viewer as it takes dance out of the context of the stage and puts into a new and fresh environment. It utilizes performance as the group is dancing but also because there seems to be a lot of room for improv among the members. I also really liked the fact that the audience walked around following the dancers and the new landscapes they performed in. It proposes an interesting idea of our need for water and how beautiful the thing we need to survive is.
ReplyDeleteIn the performance piece by Improve Everywhere, 207 'undercover' people went into Grand Central Station, were walking through and then froze at the exact same moment. This challenges the way a viewer sees it as art because it was not in a gallery setting, it can never be recreated the exact same, and was gone once it was over. The live aspect creates a sense of abnormality. The people not involved were forced to stop, reevaluate what was going on and question their everyday routine. It was also unique in a sense that it almost created an eery scene with all of these people immediately frozen and the others navigating their way around them. There was only one chance to create this exact piece, and it can only be experienced in that exact location at that exact time, something not achieved by traditional gallery art pieces.
ReplyDeleteImprov Everywhere's piece Frozen Gran Central was the piece where they has everyone in the group hang out in Grand Central Station and then at the same time, everyone just freezes. They had to hold the pose for about 5 minutes and at the same time, everyone just goes back to doing what they were doing. This piece was so interesting because you were able to see how the public reacted. some people were upset because they had work to do, some were shocked--they had no idea what happened. Others just thought it was very cool. ThisPiece was able to change the viewers experience of being at the train station. They were forced to stop and think about what was going on. they were able to interact with the performers, while the performers just became statues. It was a form of living art for those five minutes, but that were able to stick around in the viewers heads for much longer.
ReplyDeleteIn Improv Everywhere's "Frozen Grand Central," many people stood unmoving in Grand Central Station as if frozen in time, while people that were not part of the performance looked on incredulously. This is a great example of performance art challenging the viewer because in this case, the viewer unwittingly observes and becomes part of the piece. What is so central in this piece is that people are confused and interrupted from their daily routine to observe what appears to be a phenomenon. This differs from "traditional" art because the viewers don't come in with the intention of seeing art, so their reactions are incredibly natural. This piece could definitely not be achieved if it wasn't live because it relies on spontaneity of the the audience being exposed to it. It is performance because of set of people are using only themselves, their environment, and the other people that inhabit it to achieve a different way of thinking and reacting from the audience that didn't plan on seeing it. They are performing by "acting" frozen to provoke thought from unsuspecting people.
ReplyDeleteJames Luna's Artifact piece explores the Native American Cultures in Western Museums. It focuses on the displays that are centrally cultured. This piece is unique in that Luna uses his own body to get his message across. His focal point ultimately displayed Native American Peoples and the objects that tie into their culture. For the performance, Luna lay quiet and still on a bed of sand in a glass case. I enjoyed this piece because Luna successfully integrated his own body with his artwork. His acting should receive an immense amount of praise due to the level of realness Luna has portrayed. He had fooled many viewers into believing his own body was not alive, and shortly after revealed it had only been acting.
ReplyDeleteThe piece that I liked the most is the Frozen Grand Central by Improv Everywhere. In the performance they gathered hundreds of people at the Grand Central Station to do flash mob, where they froze for minutes. I think this piece pushed the boundary of art/performance for that it is close to life and more accessible to the audience compared to the high art in the museum and gallery. The audience was actually in the same space surrounded by the performers and nobody knew what was happening. The fact that it was a huge group of frozen people in a station where it is alway active and moving, helped this piece to be more impressive and surprising.
ReplyDeleteImprov Everywhere has been a piece that I've appreaciated for a long time. Basically, 207 participants signed up to stand still inside of Grand Central Station in the heart of NYC for an extended period of time. The great aspect to this project was its ability to evoke emotions from its viewers. People appeared, dumbfounded and distraught, some even pushed and punched some of the subjects out of confusion and anger. This type of art is different than conventional type of artwork because of its interactive quality. It's not a 2D or 3D piece that just sits on the wall, it art that gets everyone, thinking, moving and acting, subjects and viewers.
ReplyDeleteIn the piece by Stephan Koplowitz called dartington site specific performance, various participants used the movement of their body in collaboration with the setting to create the appearance of moving water. This type of artwork is drastically different from any type of conventional artwork. This is because, while conventional artwork is something that is often lasting and found in a gallery, performance artwork is typically shown in a fleeting moment. Furthermore, performance art is very dependent on the location it is shown in. While conventional art may be better suited for some locations over others, the actual artwork usually does not interact with the setting as performance art does. This piece utilizes the qualities of the specific location it is shown in, to fully come together as a successful piece of artwork. Another important quality is the live aspect of the piece. Other individuals may be passing through the location and have no idea of what they are about to witness. This honest reaction of onlookers creates a unique quality that only live performances can create.
ReplyDeleteFrozen Grand Central was the most interesting video I saw in the lecture. There were full of people in grand central, as usual, and everyone would just stop whatever they were doing. I was impressed by it because I know that grand central is a very busy place, and just by freezing, people created such atmosphere. Performance art such like this is so different from other works because the movement itself is a part of art. Process of making it is more important than the outcome.
ReplyDeleteI think I have already seen the film titled "Improv everywhere-frozen Grand Central, before. I first saw a few people trying to be frozen while everyone else's walking and living in their busy lives. A few people started to act as if they were frozen among the people at the grand central. This particular work is different from other performances art because it involves the audience. Although it was planned in advance, it still captured the live moment of people through the performance. It also challenges the viewers in a way that the whole performance makes the viewers curious about what's going on and this film as an artwork worked really well with the audience through the implied communication and connection.
ReplyDeleteImprov Everywhere - Frozen Grand Central
ReplyDeleteA few hundred people went into Grand Central Station in New York and froze in place, all at the same time. Many of them were in the middle of a task, such as taking a bite from a sandwich, walking, or picking something up off of the ground. Passerby were mystified. They stopped and observed, talking amongst themselves, some trying to get the actors to react. Workers in the station had to transport something by fork-truck and the frozen actors still didn't move. Then, all at once, the actors un-froze, and continued through their actions as though nothing had happened. This performance piece challenged those who observed it - most people didn't know what to think, and were bewildered by what was happening (or rather, not happening - movement). Unlike a conventional piece of art - a painting or sculpture in a gallery - this piece existed momentarily, in a live context in which such an event is unheard of. Because it occurred in a place known for its hustle and bustle, such a sudden shift in the identity of a place (due to the large number of actors), gave it a surreal quality, allowing passerby to stop for a moment and reflect where they otherwise would have rushed by. The fact that the performance was live and ephemeral gave it even more power, as the viewers were surprised by something so out of the ordinary.
Allen-Wickler
I found this lecture on performance art to be slightly frustrating, for it showed a skewed view of what performance art is. Putting Abramovic's work in the same lecture as improv everywhere is like comparing Jeff Koons to Da Vinci. They simply are not on the same playing field. I understand that we have a very limited time to go over performative work, however I feel like it could have been more adequately explained as a tangible medium and method of incorporation into other types of media such as video and photography.
ReplyDeleteJames Luna’s American Indian Artifact was particularly interesting to me, for I had never before seen that piece. The idea of putting oneself on display in a position to be examined is not only extremely venerable but also creates a tension between subject and viewer. Luna’s piece is not only an experience for the viewer but for him as well. This piece is a test of humility and endurance, for he has to lie there and be subjected to peoples stares. He is willingly putting himself in this position sparking many question within the viewer. I thoroughly enjoy the thought provoking nature of this piece as well as it’s uniqueness in display. This piece is an example that a simple action can go a long way. People are easily moved and affected by acts of honesty and vulnerability.
The Yes Men have definitely compelled me to appreciate performance art a tad bit more after watching the things they do. I have witnessed some of their work and have been inspired to do some of the things things that they are led to do concerning government. They openly make parodies of government branches to show the flaws and bigotry within government that have effected Americans. Their artwork is displayed through the performance aspect of dressing and posing as government officials then exposing ideas and beliefs that these corporations share. We dont know about the issues behind closed doors, but the Yes Men come to expose these topics for the public, in a very humorous way that leaves the actual government officials upset.
ReplyDeleteIn the piece Frozen Grand Central (put together by Improv Everywhere), a large group of people are spread out in Grand Central Station in New York and remained in one position for a very long period of time. As time passed, more and more people passing by them had puzzled looks on their faces, some laughed and some even looked frightened when they noticed the frozen humans. After a while, the actors and actresses that were once frozen, started moving all at once and carried on with their daily activities. They acted as they were never frozen. This piece is different from conventional art, because the actors have not physically created anything, but still evoke defined reactions from the audience. It uses the live aspect of performance well, because even though the actors and actresses did nothing throughout the piece, the raw reactions of the passerby's were captured as a result of the actors' body language.
ReplyDeleteI was really intrigued by the work of the Yes Men. I thought that their way of calling out corporations on bad business practices was entirely genius. By impersonating these officials, they both poked fun at the ridiculousness of these corporations and forced these officials to react to the ensuing media reaction. In this way, their work is both comedic and world-changing. I think that American corporations are extremely corrupt, and I am so glad to see these performers combating these forces in an effective and creative way. Their performance goes further and has a more distinct effect than others like the frozen performers in the train station, which affect an unspecified group of people in a way that can be more widely interpreted. I would like to watch the documentary about them in order to more fully understand their work.
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