I've spent the weekend trying to file and organise my brain so that I can sit and think about whats actually important and worth saying and doing. Filtering has been hard, but I think I've come to a point where I see that things can't stay the same.
If I'm to move parallel to my contextual studies then its time to take this all somewhere further.
Over the weekend I've been exploring ways too take the mediums/technologies I'm working in (photography, video, performance) and see how I can push there limitations and my personal limitations with them. If I'm not going to challenge that part of my self then there is little point circling my present practice and thinking its enough. I believe there must be world of self merit in the trying, even if the results are not so... desirable.
Performance has been a sort of back bone but in the back of head all of last year. Instead of going out and actually performing, I was studying it, readying myself. Using performance as a meditation and filming it all. I needed to test myself. For sure I used the evidence to my practical and creative advantage in terms of documentation but it's all been towards the same body of work and what I like to call performative work.
This year I feel ready to confront performance. I feel ready to enjoy and embrace performance and also put forward why I believe it deserves its rightful platform within contemporary arts. I've had a few ideas of how I might tackle all of this. Starting this Friday I will be performing in collaboration with Naomi at our Pre Degree show. In preparation I'll be doing a little meditation each day. May sound just a little pedantic but I believe that by relaxing the body, you can open yourself up a lot more to the experience, thus giving and taking a lot more from it.
From this (and in combination with other mediums) I thought about other platforms performance could exist or other mediums could exist. I've been exploring ways to move forward. In line with my CCs technology is one way to go with that. I've looked a game platforms and how one can create a world where art can exist in whatever way you want it.
For instance, gender plays a large role in my practice, to the point where I no longer want to be identified by my birth sex. In an ideal world (for me anyways) I'd like to perform without the male/female stigmas, so looking out with the boundaries of a stereotypical physically live performance, you could create this. Or create/recreate yourself or even create several alter egos or pseudonyms. There are several ways this could be realised. 1. A virtual website specifically set up for performance that could be a live feed or completely animated. 2. An already developed game/site that has a million other users.
To make this short, 'Second life' would be the best way forward. So as per everything, I research this concept and find this:
The couple perform together in Second life and also do re-performances (including my favourite performance - 'SeedBed' by Vito Acconci).
This is an example of what they do - 'Synthetic performances'
I find it interesting that not only do the performances happen live inside the game, but they are also controlled live by the artists. Usually with there performances, there is a live feed or actually game play form a gallery.
Although its hard not to kick myself, I'm mostly excited about what they do and also how there is still so much room to find my own place within this if I so wish. I think this definitely something I can with in terms or gender, sexuality and limitations.
Along with this I've been thinking about the limits of a standard image. Every so often someone will say something about photographs having no sound, but I believe they do. At least in terms of radio waves/sound waves and frequency. Something maybe I'll look into the new year.
Lastly in my need to develop/combine/find something that breaks a typical photo format is the idea of incorporating video or movement (larger than shutter time) to a single frame. Obviously this is something thats been giving the most attention on a larger scale and even avatars created by teenagers borrow these technologies. Anyways I found these and I thought they were really nicely executed and quite beautiful:
If we don't, remember me
(click on these to see them move)
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“You know what? If everything’s going bad, we’re going bad as well.”
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“We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.”
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“I have all the characteristics of a human being: flesh, blood, skin, hair … but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust.”
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“I was a ghost. I didn’t see anyone. No one saw me. I was the barber.”
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) |
There are actually far to much that work so good. Certainly food for thought.
I'm glad I've been able to clear my head a little, at least enough to enjoy this week in the lead up to the exhibition. Fingers crossed it all goes well.
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