Performance art is live presentation in front of an audience. It is something that can be interacted with or comes to life. It could be anything really, from singing, dancing, talking or standing there. In Yoko Ono's "Bed In" she and her newly wedded husband, John Lennon, are staging a sort of sit in protesting against the Vietnam War and wars in general. Instead of a sit in they are lying in bed together, inviting the press into their room to document. In Shaun Leonardo's "Primitive Games", the performance was demonstrated by 4 groups of participants who have all had different roles and experiences with gun violence. They all had to talk and respond with body language, and showed how their bodies have "learned to respond to conflict".
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| "Bed In", Yoko Ono, 1969 |
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| "Primitive Games", Shaun Leonardo, 2018 |
Yoko Ono - A Groundbreaking Artist, Activist and Fighter
"Yoko Ono has been, without a doubt, one of the most misunderstood artists in the past 60 years. It is her massive fame, association with the Beatles, and heal-the-world rhetoric that have obscured her groundbreaking contributions to the world of art of the 1960s and beyond."
I think Yoko Ono is a victim of the patriarchy, let me explain. Before Yoko Ono ever got involved with John Lennon or became associated with The Beatles, she was well known for her art and activism, not internationally but still known. But this changed with Lennon, that's when she became distained by the public for allegedly breaking up the Beatles. From there people really honed in on her and was judged more than Lennon. Many people disregarded her work and activism and preferred to criticize her or her relationship. I think as the years have passed people have become more progressive, we are looking back at her work with new eyes to truly see what her message is.
"Her idea that physical presence of the artist could communicate far more forcefully than a mediated representation influenced generations of future artists."
I understood this as a person physically performing their art has a bigger chance at making an impact. Which I think in a sense is true, we often will remember a performance more than a piece of art on a wall. A performance makes us, the audience, part of the art piece. We are actively engaging in the art as it is happening around us.
Interview with Shaun Leonardo - Performance, Pedagogy, and Philosophy
"But for Leonardo, the act of experiencing a space, memory, or feeling is simultaneously an opportunity to reflect, meditate, and explore."
Every moment (for the most part) is a perfect time to think and be creative, even in dull and mundane moments there is space for inspiration.
"This is infiltrated and influenced by social media and the sort of commotion and chaos of the news cycle: we feel compelled to act, act, act—to respond, respond, respond—and artists don’t operate best in that rhythm. Artists need to take in, to process, to decipher, to separate from the noise and create things that are beautiful and impactful to the spirit. Artists have to offer a different type of slowness to work against the speed of today."
Every artist works differently but I think there is some truth in this statement that artist need a type of slowness in order to work and create. Of course, we can work quickly if needed to, but I think when you are able to fully explore ideas and really give your work time to marinate is when work comes out the best and reflects your vision and thoughts best.
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