Well it’s not Friday, and it’s not 5 o’clock but I feel the need to post.
Following a very interesting day yesterday I am starting to wonder if and where I fit into a PERFORMANCE ART scenario. And am wondering if this is the reason for my somewhat frustrated efforts in getting my work shown.
I spent the day at Circuit in Leicester and the evening at it’s sister (or brother) gig HATCH at Embrace Arts Leicester. It was an enjoyable experience with a multitude of interesting and thought provoking works. However it led me to question again the role of the audience in LIVE ART.
I didn’t get to see all the performances in either space but my overriding impression for the day was that I was a PASSIVE audience member. This was the case even when engaged in a one-to-one performance. I was asked to do things on these occassions but the control always rested with the performer. There was no scope for the punter to influence the proceedings.
As a willing audience – we tended to follow the unwritten rules – we didn’t do something unexpected – we didn’t help a person where we might have done in another context WE PLAYED ALONG WITH THE GAME – we respected what we thought we were supposed to do in as an audience in a live art context. But is this right? Are our own responses not valid in ANY situation. Is there one programmable experience designed for us when we enter the space? Are we SUPPOSED to feel ONE thing? Surely every response to art is a personal one and this should be taken into account. If, as the audience we react in a differnt way, does this mean we don’t understand or are not sympathetic to the rules? Are we not able to interact unless specifically requested to in a certain way for fear of shattering the illusion?
I think this is the crux of why my work does not seem to fit into the established set ups. I am interested creating something (object) and then in handing over the responsibility to the audience for them to experiment with. It is not prewritten in any way – any outcome could occur.
Perhaps it is this ambiguity about ‘outcome’ or ‘quality’ that is leading to my problems?
