According to Art History 101: Performance Art, performance art is live. It has no rules or guidelines and is more of an experiment. It is only art because the artist says it is art. Performance art may be composed of paintings, sculpture, dialogue, poetry, music, dance, opera, film footage, turned on television sets, laser lights, live animals and fire. Many performance artists are also interested in crossing the perceived boundary between art and life such as thinking of everyday activities in an artistic manner, which proved to be the main concept of this week’s lesson.
Women have always played an important role in Performance Art. Many women turned to this new form because they felt that more traditional media such as painting and sculpture had long been dominated by male artists and wanted to explore fresh territory. Women have proven to be true pioneers in Performance Art, making work that is brave, innovative, risky and just plain good! (Byrd. 1998) One of these women includes Linda Montano. She discusses how art has been generous to her and has allowed her to explore fear, exuberance, unconscious subject matter, fantasies and ideas. She says, "It is the place where I practice for life." She explains the transitions between life and how art based on rituals have allowed her to act truthfully, spontaneously, and can alter one’s perception of life. She even eventually came to the point during her days of work where she called each day art and not life.
I have never considered routine daily activities to be anything but, well, routine. So when we were assigned this project, I wasn’t certain that these same mundane tasks could be seen as artwork. It was not until I learned about performance artists, such as Linda Montano, that I came to appreciate how such activities could be considered art. Repetition can transform routine activities into art, and eventually I too may start calling activities art, instead of life.
For this project, I chose a task I like to do when I am stressed out: watching the fish in the first tank. The time always passes by quite quickly when I become mesmerized by the many colors and fish swimming. It fact I am usually calmed and put into a trancelike state. I still was not sure if I can call this art. Then I began to think about its components and most importantly whether or not I considered it art. Performance art is often emotional and topical, frequently dealing with political and personal matters and with issues such as race, class, and feminism. Although my artwork doesn’t initially signify any of these meanings in a direct manner, it does signify a way to deal with such manners. It represents something that is honest and a source of tranquility. Instead of resorting to violent actions, one can sit and contemplate issues at hand as an alternative to malicious behavior. This alternative response can, in its own way, be exciting and a refreshing look at life and one’s passions. This artwork is able to signify behavior that is associated with relaxation in order to assess difficult situations. This allowed me to find that art has given alternatives to life experiences that may be difficult to cope with. Even when something appears to be tedious and uninteresting, it can become exciting and represent passion. Performance art allows for the removal of limitations and obstacles, and alternative ways of looking at life.
Therefore:
1. My performance is art because it changes a routine task into something that is honest and a source of tranquility. This behavior was a way to relax in order to accumulate thoughts and assess current situations that may be influencing current behaviors. It allows for a everyday relaxation technique to become something beautiful.
2. Art is I an expression that can be exuded in many different ways. It not only represents the passions of the artist’s life and beliefs, but also alters perceptions on life. Art creates an opportunity for analysis and multiple interpretations.
3. The difference between art and life that life is the experiences that one faces, but art gives new or different meaning to those experiences. Montano says that art is the place where she practices for life. Art, while intending for the public eye, turns out to have affects on the life of the individual. So, although they represent different things, they are actually quite reflective of each other.
References: Byrd, Jeff. Women in Performance Art. 1998 http://eamusic.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewowem/electronmedia/visual/performanceart.html
Esaack, Shelly. Art History 101: Performance Art. 2007. http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/performance.htm Montano, Linda. “Art in Everyday Life.” LA: Astro Artz. 1981.
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