Performance Artists

Part 1
Of the several performance artists we discussed in class, my top three, in no particular order would be the Guerilla Girls, Marina Abramovic, and Yoko Onno. I found all these performers so intriguing and their art really touched something inside of me. As a passionate feminist, the Guerilla Girls and their activism inspired me. It was so uplifting to discover that three wonderful, anonymous, independent women artists are standing up for women's rights in and out of the art world, advocating for equality. The execution of their work was so particular, relevant, and aesthetic. I love how they took inspiration from famous pop culture, such as Marilyn Monroe in, "The Seven Year Itch," and made it their own in order to fight for the cause. In a way, their existence as an anonymous activist group is performance art itself.

What I loved about Marina Abramovic's exhibitions was her courageousness. The fact that she could endure such unspeakable pain and stress, to the point of willing and public mutilation, is incredibly commendable in my opinion. It takes a lot of personal strength and commitment to one's ideas not to flinch in the face of fear. Lastly, Yoko Ono's art was very interactive and racy, which made it all the more interesting. She was very creative to come up with the idea of allowing audience members to physically cut her clothing.

I believe what all these artists and their work had in common was determination. They all exhibited unspeakable perseverance for the sake of their beliefs. The Guerilla Girls displayed their determination by standing up for what was right and continuing to make that decision. Whereas Marina Abramovic showed the extent of her perseverance by performing daring and highly dangerous exhibitions. She tested all the limits unflinchingly. Yoko Ono was similar to Abramovic in this way by not letting the audience members intimidate her during her pieces. She sat still and poised while complete strangers undid her clothing.

For both Marina Abramovic and the Guerilla Girls technology does play an integral part in their work. For instance, in "The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic." lighting and set design was important to the visual experience. With the lights, fog, and set, Abramovic was able to convey emotion and tell a story to her audience. The Guerilla Girls use technology in the design of their creative and artistic posters and billboards that they use for their cause. Yoko Ono also sang, and I believe music qualifies for technology because it is the utilization of sound and other materials to convey a message.

As far as where performance art can lead, and what is to be done about performance art, in my opinion, performance art is an intriguing and integral medium because so much can be conveyed in new and unexpected ways. For instance, performance art can bring attention to important social causes and lead to the birth of revolutions. Performance art lends itself to powerful statement and can be utilized for change. These brave artists put themselves in harm's way for their beliefs and what they feel is important. They have much to offer, and we the public have much to learn from their work. Performance art should be encouraged and appreciated for its creativity. Perhaps, in terms of how performance art can improve and evolve alongside technology, maybe future performances will employ holograms, that way the performers can reach a wider population.

Part 2
Up until this project, I had never done performance art, or even knew the difference between performing art and performance art. I welcomed this challenge and set to work looking for inspiration. I have always been fascinated with the idea that loneliness today is on the rise, mostly in part due to widespread social media use, and because of that, I decided to offer free hugs, because I read various articles which stated that in today's modern society, many lonely people crave physical touch and interaction. In fact, imagining a hug from a loved one has been proven to reduce the symptoms of anxiety as they occur.

The purpose of this was two-fold. Firstly, I wanted to shed some light on an important and prevalent social issue today, depression. Next, I hoped to spread a little positivity in an unexpected way. With that in mind, I enlisted a friend to record me offering hugs and sharing information about depression. The facts allowed me to tie my project in with my vision, and with the element of technology, because I alluded to the fact that there are cases of depression and loneliness which are linked to social media use. I had a wonderful time with this and I was able to connect with strangers in ways I never could have imagined.