First Day of Performance Art

Performance art is suppose to involve the audience, capturing their reactions and expressions. When each set of partners went outside, an audience was drawn in immediately. It was raining, and four to six students were holding mirrors and making faces. The few people that were outside were underneath umbrellas, but we were not; rain was falling on our mirrors, making it harder for us to see one another and us. When we switched pieces, the strange looks and laughs continued from the small audience. The reactions would have been different if the weather was more pleasant, bring more people outside, and if the number of groups was larger.
I do not really understand performance art. I realize that it is supposed to get the reaction of the audience, but is that not the point of most art? For the most part, works of art can be interpreted several ways, depending on who is viewing it. In my mind, performance art is theatre, not two people doing something ridiculous in a crowded place. Even though this is the way I feel, I can still appreciate performance art, just not necessarily as much as “traditional” art.

Performance Art

My performance art piece.

Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp worked on this piece, The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, for eight years. After all that time that he spent on it, he did not feel it was complete. The materials used in this piece are two glass panels, fuse wire, dust, lead foil, paint, and mirror plating. During a move, the glass panels were dropped, causing them to break. Duchamp liked the breaks and decided to keep them as part of the work. The abstract installation makes viewers become entranced, unable to see enough. First, you see the entire object as one. Then at a second look, each individual component is examined. Interpretations are made and changed several times. It is hard to be satisfied with your first thoughts of this piece. Even the title of the piece makes the viewers think differently about it then their own instincts urge them to.

Works Consulted:

Stafford, Andrew. "1923: The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even - Also known as The Large Glass." Making Sense of Marcel Duchamp. 2006. 11 Nov 2007 .