🎭Performance Art Unit 5 – Time and Duration in Performance Art

What's Time and Duration in Performance Art?

• Time and duration play a crucial role in performance art, serving as both a medium and a subject of exploration
• Performance art often challenges traditional notions of time by manipulating, distorting, or subverting its linear progression
• Artists use various strategies to engage with time, such as repetition, slowness, acceleration, or even the complete absence of action
• Duration becomes a key element in performance art, with some works lasting for extended periods (hours, days, or even months) to create immersive experiences
• The incorporation of time and duration allows artists to investigate themes of endurance, transformation, and the ephemeral nature of human existence
• Performance art often blurs the boundaries between real-time and fictional time, creating a liminal space for audience engagement
• The use of time and duration in performance art can evoke a sense of anticipation, tension, or even boredom, challenging the audience's expectations and perceptions

Key Concepts and Theories

• Temporality: The concept of time as a subjective and malleable experience, often manipulated by artists to create specific effects or convey ideas
• Liveness: The immediacy and presence of the performer's actions, emphasizing the real-time encounter between the artist and the audience
• Ephemerality: The transient and fleeting nature of performance art, which exists only in the moment of its execution and cannot be fully captured or reproduced
• Durational aesthetics: The artistic exploration of extended time periods, often pushing the limits of physical and mental endurance for both the performer and the audience
• Repetition and ritual: The use of repetitive actions or gestures to create a sense of rhythm, meditation, or even absurdity within the performance
• Boredom and attention: The deliberate use of slowness, monotony, or lack of action to challenge the audience's attention span and encourage introspection
• Presence and absence: The interplay between the performer's physical presence and moments of absence or stillness, creating a tension between the visible and the invisible

Pioneers and Influential Artists

• Marina Abramović: Known for her groundbreaking durational performances, such as "The Artist is Present" (2010), in which she sat silently facing individual audience members for over 700 hours
• Tehching Hsieh: Taiwanese-American artist famous for his "One Year Performances," including "Time Clock Piece" (1980-1981), where he punched a time clock every hour for an entire year
• Chris Burden: American artist who pushed the boundaries of physical endurance, exemplified by his work "Five Day Locker Piece" (1971), in which he confined himself inside a locker for five days
• Yoko Ono: Japanese multimedia artist whose performance "Cut Piece" (1964) involved the audience cutting away her clothing, exploring themes of vulnerability and trust over time
• Tino Sehgal: British-German artist known for his "constructed situations," such as "This Progress" (2010), where actors engaged visitors in conversations as they moved through the Guggenheim Museum
• Ragnar Kjartansson: Icelandic artist who creates durational performances, such as "A Lot of Sorrow" (2013), featuring the band The National playing their song "Sorrow" continuously for six hours
• Teching Hsieh: Taiwanese-American artist known for his "One Year Performances," including "Outdoor Piece" (1981-1982), in which he spent an entire year outside without taking shelter

Techniques and Approaches

• Extended duration: Performances that last for several hours, days, or even months, testing the limits of physical and mental endurance
  • Prolonged actions or inaction can induce altered states of consciousness for both the performer and the audience
  • Extended duration works often blur the boundaries between art and life, as the performance becomes integrated into the artist's daily existence
• Real-time actions: Performances that unfold in the present moment, emphasizing the immediacy and unpredictability of the experience
• Slow motion and stillness: The deliberate use of slow, minimal movements or complete stillness to create a sense of tension, contemplation, or unease
  • Slow motion techniques can draw attention to subtle details and encourage a heightened awareness of the body and its surroundings
• Repetition and looping: The use of repetitive actions, gestures, or phrases to create a sense of rhythm, meditation, or even absurdity
  • Repetition can also serve as a means of transformation, as the meaning of an action shifts over time through its continuous execution
• Endurance and physical strain: Performances that push the limits of the artist's physical capabilities, often involving exhaustion, pain, or discomfort
• Audience participation and interaction: Works that invite the audience to actively engage with the performance, either through direct interaction with the artist or by completing tasks over an extended period
• Improvisation and chance: Performances that incorporate elements of spontaneity and unpredictability, allowing for the work to evolve organically over time

Famous Works and Case Studies

• "The Artist is Present" by Marina Abramović (2010): A 736-hour and 30-minute silent performance at the Museum of Modern Art, where Abramović sat motionless while visitors took turns sitting opposite her
• "Nightsea Crossing" by Marina Abramović and Ulay (1981-1987): A series of 22 performances in which the artists sat silently facing each other across a table for extended periods, ranging from 1 to 16 days
• "One Year Performance 1980–1981 (Time Clock Piece)" by Tehching Hsieh: A durational performance where Hsieh punched a time clock every hour, on the hour, for an entire year
• "The House with the Ocean View" by Marina Abramović (2002): A 12-day performance in which Abramović lived on three open platforms in a gallery, fasting and remaining silent, while the audience observed her
• "Imponderabilia" by Marina Abramović and Ulay (1977): A performance where the naked artists stood facing each other in a narrow doorway, forcing the audience to squeeze between them to enter the gallery
• "LABOR" by Vanessa Beecroft (2012): A 72-hour performance at the PAC Milan, featuring a group of women performing repetitive, monotonous tasks in a factory-like setting
• "The Maybe" by Tilda Swinton (1995, 2013): A series of performances in which Swinton lay sleeping in a glass box for hours at a time, blurring the lines between performance and everyday life

Impact on Audience and Space

• Altered perception of time: Durational performances can distort the audience's sense of time, creating a heightened awareness of the present moment or a feeling of timelessness
• Immersion and engagement: Extended performances often create immersive environments that encourage the audience to become deeply engaged with the work, both emotionally and intellectually
• Transformation of space: The presence of a durational performance can transform the gallery or public space into a charged, meditative, or even confrontational environment
• Shared experience and collective memory: Durational works often foster a sense of community among the audience members, as they share in the unfolding experience and create collective memories
• Challenging expectations: Time-based performances often subvert traditional notions of entertainment or aesthetic pleasure, challenging the audience to reconsider their expectations and engage with art on a deeper level
• Emotional and psychological impact: The use of duration, repetition, and endurance can evoke strong emotional responses in the audience, ranging from empathy and connection to discomfort and unease
• Blurring of boundaries: Durational performances often blur the boundaries between art and life, public and private, and performer and audience, creating a liminal space for exploration and reflection

Challenges and Controversies

• Physical and mental strain on performers: Durational works can take a significant toll on the artists' physical and mental well-being, raising questions about the ethics and sustainability of such practices
• Audience discomfort and endurance: Extended performances can be challenging for audiences, requiring patience, commitment, and a willingness to endure discomfort or boredom
• Accusations of sensationalism or gimmickry: Some critics argue that durational performances rely on spectacle or shock value rather than genuine artistic merit
• Commodification and institutionalization: As durational works gain popularity and institutional support, there are concerns about the potential commodification or co-optation of these practices
• Documentation and reproduction: The ephemeral nature of durational performances poses challenges for documentation and preservation, raising questions about the role of archives and the authenticity of reproductions
• Accessibility and elitism: The time-intensive nature of durational works can make them inaccessible to certain audiences, leading to accusations of elitism or exclusivity
• Cultural appropriation and exploitation: Some durational performances draw on cultural or spiritual practices, raising concerns about appropriation, misrepresentation, or exploitation of marginalized communities

Contemporary Applications

• Site-specific and public interventions: Contemporary artists are using durational performances to engage with specific sites, communities, or social issues, often in public spaces or non-traditional venues
• Participatory and collaborative projects: Many contemporary durational works involve the active participation and collaboration of audiences or community members, blurring the lines between artist and spectator
• Interdisciplinary and multimedia approaches: Artists are incorporating elements of video, sound, technology, and other media into their durational performances, expanding the boundaries of the genre
• Exploration of identity and politics: Durational performances are being used to explore issues of identity, gender, race, and political activism, often through the lens of personal experience or social critique
• Virtual and online performances: With the rise of digital technologies, artists are creating durational works that take place entirely online or in virtual spaces, challenging traditional notions of presence and interaction
• Ecological and environmental themes: Some contemporary durational performances address issues of climate change, sustainability, and the relationship between humans and the natural world
• Therapeutic and healing practices: Artists are exploring the potential of durational performances as tools for personal and collective healing, often drawing on practices from psychology, meditation, or ritual