Group Crits are something that puts the fear into any art student. I decided that I would use the opportunity to put away this fear and use the presents of my fellow students to perform a new piece of work in front of them. the performance starts with the audience being presented with 3 objects. A silver beer barrel and rope in a circular pattern around the barrel, with slip knots tie on the ends the third object a wooden sword/knife placed onto of the silver barrel.
I gathered the audience around the perimeter of the rope. I walked around in a circle placing the rope in the audiences hands. after this I walked around looking at the the barrel assessing how I could approach this. I did this in a menacing way to in still tension into the piece. the potential was there to be used as I wished I had control I had told the audience what to do and they did this. I walked around and around until i decide to pick up the wooden object and hit the barrel in a considered manner right left up down right left up down. I placed the slip knots onto my wrists and started shouting and hitting the barrel. the instructional questions insue. ‘am I still getting louder?’ ‘wont you stop me?’ ‘Is this what you want?’ these questions aimed upon the barrel.
The audience stayed and started to pull on the rope to restrict me with one last blow of the barrel the wooden object broke and I was pulled into a crucifix type position unable to move.
Above the installation of the remains of the performance.
Comments on the above performance.
- Painful
- angry
- confusion
- teamwork
- hurt
- crucifixion
- industry
- nuisance
- torment
- Violence
- ambiguous
- Arena
- Childs play
Arena
One person felt i had set the performance up like a gladitorial arena , the had expected me to wrestle with the barrel.
Childs play
it was commented on the wooden sword being a Childs toy and that what we learn through play as a child affects our later life.
Ethics
- escalated quickly
- Steady build up but ultimately erupted into noise but the build up had more tension to it than the explosion. build up scary.
- Choice/no choice – are we all controlled by the man is the performer actually in control and did we just fall for his trick. are we as bad as those in charge.
- Protection of self
- Ropes around wrists – control or control of audience
- humanity and generosity
- ritualistic
- torture
- menace
Things to look at
- savagery of the performance
- ‘the trial’ film?
- mil-grim experiment
- costume?
