Further Developments on First-Year Project Proposal

 

Further Developments on First-Year Project Proposal

 

“The Process and Praxis of Constructing the Self as Medium”

a practical pedagogy for the practice of Performance Art

Student

Claire Elizabeth Barratt

Advisors

Laura Gonzales (studio)

Laura Bissel (research)

Areas that relate to my work

Although all subjects could potentially be included in my work - the intention of this particular project is to develop a method & curriculum for a performance art pedagogy that can explore any subject matter.
However - if I were to define an underlying theme that runs through my work, I would have to say it is that of Transformation, Metamorphosis & Transcendence.

Description of proposed project or body of work – practical element

As an Inter-Disciplinary Performing Artist with a background in dance, music, theatre and visual arts, the objective of my Creative MFA Practice project proposal is twofold:

To develop a deeper cognizant grasp of the various aspects of this broadly encompassing genre and to establish a context for my own work within its history;

To develop a pedagogy in which my methods of training, preparation and execution can be integrated into a curriculum for the practice of Performance Art.

Over my first year of study, my projected areas of research include: a comprehensive study of the chronological history of Performance Art; a study of contemporaries writing about their own practice; interviews with individuals who are currently teaching Performance Art.

I plan to facilitate a regular workshop series in which my own physical and creative methods of training and preparing body and mind can be fully explored within a synergetic setting.

The discoveries and developments of this research process will be continuously assimilated and assessed throughout the course of the year

Curriculum to include 4 areas of focus:

      1.    Definition, History & Context.

      2.    Physical Preparation.

      3.    Creative Response, Play & Interaction.

      4.    Assignments & New Work.

Examples of studies & exercises for each of these 4 focus areas.

1.    Definition, History & Context.

Study all available definitions of Performance Art

Study the work of key performance artists & movements throughout the 20^th Century.

Put current work into historic context.

Examples of key artists to study:

Futurist & Dadaist performance.

(Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, Kurt Schwitters, Jean Arp, Sophie Taeuber-Arp)

Happenings – Black Mountain College (Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg)

Fluxus performance.

(Joseph Beuys, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Charlotte Moorman)

Other key 60s, 70s & 80s artists.

(Marina Abramovic, Linda Montano, Karen Finley, Robert Wilson, Richard Foreman, Yvonne Rainer, Trisha Brown)

2.    Physical Preparation.

Preparation of the body as a versatile medium for art.

Exercises to engage in relationship with self, body, time, space, gravity, surface & concepts of form & motion.

Examples of physical exercises:

Vibrate/Shake/Throw

Skeleton/Joint spirals

Breath – Expansion/Extension

Transfer of weight – Connection/Locomotion/Stability

Presence/Definition

Shape

Quality of motion

Stillness/Silence

Opposites/Contrasts (tempo, level, weight etc)

Sound (body generated)

3.    Creative Response, Play & Interaction.

Utilize aspects of physical preparation in creative response and interaction.

Exercises to engage in relationship with “other” in response to sound, image, text, smell, taste, texture, environment, colour, object, person, identity and more.

Examples of creative exercises:

Creative Synesthesia (game)

Adverbs (game)

Call & Response (partner)

Movement Telepathy (partner)

Cross-Medium Response (individual)

Human Sculptures (group)

Flocking (group)

Identity/Character Development (individual)

Defining Essence (group)

Defining Narrative (group)

       4.   Assignments & New Work.

Assignments for the purpose of applying physical & creative tools explored in class towards the development of original work.

Examples of assignments:

a)   Go to place (nature, market, construction site, cemetery – anywhere).

Absorb scene without intent.

Return & formulate creative response based on sensory memory.

Use any medium(s)

Develop into performative action & create piece.

Return to place to perform piece.

b)   Chose a mythological character from any culture.

Define their “essence”. Define their “narrative”.

Collect images, objects, sounds, textures, smells, tastes, colours, texts, places, people, animals etc (in any medium) who you feel portray these essential qualities.

Create a series of responses to these qualities in any medium(s).

Begin to assemble these materials into a time-based framework.

Add, remove, re-arrange & adapt material as you see appropriate in order to refine it into a performative piece.

Description of project report or thesis – written element

Detailed descriptions of my physical & creative exercises.
Reports on results of exercises in a workshop situation.
Discussion on further development of exercises based on workshop results.
Research methods of historically renowned performance artists & report results - compare & contrast with my own methods.

Anticipated results, e.g. documentation, performance, script, intervention, website, exhibition, book, journal

Journal of workshop developments.
Performances with workshop participants.
Documentation of workshops & performances - photo & video.
Final result to be a curriculum for the teaching of performance art - including:
1. Historic information
2. Physical exercises
3. Creative exercises
4. Development of new work.
Presentation format of curriculum TBD (script, blog etc)

Initial bibliography for written element

TBD -
Projected reading material possibly includes:
 
Richard Schechner – ‘Performance Studies’
Guillermo Gomez Pena – ‘Exercises For Rebel Artists’

Victor Turner – ‘The Anthropology of Performance’
Amelia Jones – ‘The Artist’s Body’, ‘Perform, Repeat, Record’ & ‘Performing The Body/Performing The Text’
Josephine Machon – ‘Immersive Theatres’ & ‘(Syn)aesthetics’
Sandra Reeve – ‘Body & Performance’
plus Roselee Goldberg’s Performance Art chronology synopsizes.
 
- also study: Joseph Beuys, Michel Chekov, Antonin Artaud, Oskar Schlemmer,
Tim Etchells / Forced Entertainment, Tino Sehgal

Research statement – hypothesis or question you pose

“The Process and Praxis of Constructing the Self as Medium”
a practical pedagogy for the practice of Performance Art
To develop a pedagogy in which my methods of training, preparation and execution can be integrated into a curriculum for the practice of Performance Art.

Formulate entire project in 2-3 meaningful sentences

Based on the axiom that the body is the primary medium of performance art, my focus is to develop my methods of training, preparation and execution into a structure that can be integrated into a pedagogical curriculum for the practice of Performance Art.

List three works of art, performances, events, etc. to describe, compare and contrast.

3 eras/movements of western performance art
1920s - Dada
1960s - Fluxus
1980s

Provide one to three themes, questions, topics, issues, threads etc. to discuss, compare and contrast which are relevant to your work.

what information can be found about:
methods of creating work
methods of pedagogy/instruction/explanation

Formulate as a paragraph as in the examples above.

I will study three eras of performance art: 1920s (Dada), 1960s (Fluxus) leading into  the 1980s and I will compare and contrast methods of creating work, pedagogy and instruction.

How will this research support your creative project or practice in general (150 words)?

By putting my current work into historic context.
By giving me a fuller understanding of historic experimental methods in performance as a guide in pedagogical practice.

This study will enable me to compare and contrast my own creative, instructional and pedagogical methods of making, explaining and teaching performance with those of key figures throughout these distinct eras in the history of performance art.