Where do we begin? So you have an idea, a nugget, a phrase, a moment of acting that needs no stage, a piece of writing that lifts off the page, an object that must move...now what? What makes a performance, art? How can art become performance? How do we consider the audience? How is making a salad together a work of art? Stand up comedy? Do we have to produce? What does it mean to ‘perform’ experience?
This studio course, Introduction to Performance Art: Theory and Practice will address these questions and more. The class will operate as an exploratory lab, looking at rich examples of performance art from history and then using those works as impetus for creating our own performance art. The class will be structured around short lectures, experiential ‘actions’, and collaborative projects. Each week, students will explore an artist, concept, and/or a movement, engage in dialogue, and then use that information to create a response piece. The course will culminate in a short performance project or presentation completed independently or in collaboration with other students.
We will create within an improvisational framework, inviting spontaneity over perfection, and process over product. Collaboration and constructive feedback is encouraged. We will be curious about process, participation, experimentation, interactivity, the audience, ritual, experiential objects, environments, systems, movement, gesture, framing, timing, and the body. Questions and opinions are welcome.
- Teacher: Hollis Witherspoon