Object, Body, Narrative: Creating and Interpreting Performance Art

In this hybrid studio-seminar we develop a performance art practice while deepening research and art interpretation skills. We closely analyze performance art and theatre engaging five primary categories: 1) literary and scholarly texts, 2) online video, film, and television, 3) historical and political figures, 4) dance, and 5) visual art. We research individual artists, their performances, and their inspirations. For example, when studying Ilana Harris-Babou’s performance Cooking with the Erotic (2016) we perform a close collaborative reading of the Audre Lorde essay woven throughout its dialogue, “Uses of the Erotic” (1978), and additionally study the online cooking videos and hip-hop its structure and interludes reference. This kind of research and interpretive work enlivens our ability to create our own performance art and theatre. Simply put, this course builds our interpretive skills to strengthen our ability to create performances.