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🗿Public Art and Urban Design

🗿public art and urban design review

9.2 Performance Art in Public Spaces

5 min readLast Updated on July 30, 2024

Performance art in public spaces shakes up our everyday world. Artists use their bodies, actions, and audience participation to create powerful experiences right where we live and work. It's not just about watching—it's about feeling, thinking, and sometimes even joining in.

This chapter dives into how performance art turns streets, parks, and buildings into stages for creativity and social commentary. From early pioneers to today's digital-savvy artists, we'll see how these bold acts challenge norms, spark conversations, and leave lasting impressions on both viewers and public spaces.

History of Performance Art

Emergence and Early Pioneers

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  • Performance art emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as a radical departure from traditional art forms, emphasizing the artist's actions and the audience's participation in the creation of meaning
  • Early pioneers of performance art, such as Allan Kaprow, Yoko Ono, and Marina Abramović, challenged the boundaries between art and life by staging provocative and unconventional performances in public spaces (Kaprow's "Happenings", Ono's "Cut Piece", Abramović's "Rhythm 0")
  • These artists sought to break down the barriers between art and everyday life, blurring the lines between performer and spectator, and challenging the commodification of art objects

Influential Movements and Contexts

  • The Fluxus movement, which began in the 1960s, played a significant role in the development of performance art, advocating for the integration of art into everyday life and the use of chance and improvisation in artistic practices (John Cage's "4'33"", George Brecht's "Event Scores")
  • The feminist art movement of the 1970s utilized performance art as a means of critiquing patriarchal structures and asserting the agency and visibility of women artists in public spaces (Carolee Schneemann's "Interior Scroll", Adrian Piper's "Catalysis" series)
  • The 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of politically engaged performance art, with artists addressing issues such as racism, AIDS, and globalization through site-specific interventions and participatory performances (Guillermo Gómez-Peña's "Border Brujo", Gran Fury's "Kissing Doesn't Kill")
  • Contemporary performance artists continue to push the boundaries of the medium, incorporating new technologies, social media, and interactive elements to engage with diverse public audiences and respond to pressing social and political issues (Tania Bruguera's "Immigrant Movement International", Dread Scott's "On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide")

Engagement with Audiences

Participatory Strategies

  • Performance art often seeks to disrupt the passive spectatorship associated with traditional art forms, inviting audiences to actively participate in the creation of meaning and the unfolding of the work
  • Artists may employ various strategies to engage public audiences, such as direct interaction, dialogue, and collaboration, blurring the lines between performer and spectator (Marina Abramović's "The Artist is Present", Rirkrit Tiravanija's "Untitled (Free)")
  • Participatory performance art projects often involve the audience in the decision-making process, empowering them to shape the direction and outcome of the work and fostering a sense of collective ownership and responsibility (Suzanne Lacy's "The Crystal Quilt", Paul Ramírez Jonas's "Key to the City")

Provoking Responses and Disrupting Norms

  • Performance art can provoke emotional, intellectual, and physical responses from audiences, challenging their assumptions, beliefs, and behaviors through confrontational or subversive actions (Chris Burden's "Shoot", Valie Export's "Tapp und Tastkino")
  • By staging performances in public spaces, such as streets, parks, and public institutions, artists can reach diverse audiences and create unexpected encounters that disrupt daily routines and encourage critical reflection (William Pope.L's "The Great White Way", Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gómez-Peña's "Two Undiscovered Amerindians Visit the West")
  • The use of humor, irony, and absurdity in performance art can serve to disarm and engage audiences, inviting them to question the status quo and imagine alternative possibilities for social and political change (The Yes Men's "Dow Does the Right Thing", Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping's "Exorcisms")

Body as Medium

Embodied Expression and Transgression

  • In performance art, the artist's body serves as the primary medium of expression, with physical actions, gestures, and movements conveying symbolic and metaphorical meanings
  • Artists may subject their bodies to extreme or transgressive acts, such as self-mutilation, endurance tests, or public nudity, to challenge societal taboos and confront audiences with the reality of embodied experience (Chris Burden's "Trans-Fixed", Marina Abramović's "Rhythm 0", Carolee Schneemann's "Meat Joy")
  • The use of the body as a site of political resistance and social critique is a recurring theme in performance art, with artists using their physical presence to confront issues of gender, race, class, and sexuality (Ana Mendieta's "Silueta" series, Ron Athey's "Four Scenes in a Harsh Life")

Challenging Norms and Fostering Empathy

  • By performing in public spaces, artists can challenge the normative codes of behavior and decorum that govern these sites, exposing the hidden power structures and social hierarchies that shape public life (Adrian Piper's "Mythic Being" series, Tehching Hsieh's "One Year Performances")
  • The vulnerability and intimacy of the artist's body in performance art can create a sense of empathy and identification with the audience, fostering a shared sense of humanity and interconnectedness (Marina Abramović and Ulay's "Imponderabilia", Yoko Ono's "Cut Piece")
  • The ephemeral nature of performance art, with actions unfolding in real-time and disappearing without a trace, can underscore the transience and contingency of social norms and cultural values

Documentation of Performance Art

Strategies and Challenges

  • Due to its ephemeral nature, performance art relies heavily on documentation to preserve and disseminate the work beyond its original context and audience
  • Artists may employ various documentation strategies, such as video recording, photography, written descriptions, and oral histories, to capture the essential elements of the performance and convey its meaning and impact (Carolee Schneemann's "Meat Joy" film, Gina Pane's "Action Psyché" photographs)
  • The choice of documentation medium can significantly influence the interpretation and reception of the work, with each format offering unique possibilities and limitations for representing the live event
  • The relationship between live performance and its documentation is a contentious issue in performance art, with some artists and scholars arguing that the live event is the only authentic form of the work, while others view documentation as an integral part of the artistic process (Peggy Phelan's "The Ontology of Performance", Philip Auslander's "Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture")

Dissemination and Preservation

  • The dissemination of performance art documentation through exhibitions, publications, and online platforms can extend the reach and impact of the work, allowing audiences to engage with the piece long after its initial staging (MoMA's "The Artist is Present" exhibition, UbuWeb's online archive)
  • The rise of social media and digital technologies has opened up new possibilities for documenting and sharing performance art, enabling artists to create interactive and participatory experiences that blur the boundaries between live and mediated encounters (Amalia Ulman's "Excellences & Perfections", Molly Soda's "Inbox Full")
  • The preservation and archiving of performance art documentation pose significant challenges, requiring specialized knowledge and resources to ensure the long-term accessibility and integrity of the materials (Franklin Furnace Archive, Live Art Development Agency)
  • Institutions and organizations dedicated to the preservation and promotion of performance art play a crucial role in ensuring the legacy and continued relevance of this ephemeral art form (Performa, Performance Space New York)


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© 2025 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.