Chance is a Verb.

(I) Artistic Contexts

A theme shared amongst artists regarding why they create, especially performance art, is their desire to experience total freedom in the face of limitations. An intense attraction to subtract oneself from past traditions, a need to break the rules, and a curiosity to see what happens when you change the directions associated with the path your own. In doing this the artist has constructed a platform in which their process is untouchable, a completely free space allowing the fullest forms of individualism to be expressed. The product within these contexts, should than speak to the artists independence. A work that encompasses the flexibility, the immunity, the opportunity, and power that the artist felt during creation. A visual embodiment of an artist’s experience presented to viewers as a final product.  But this idea of a final product, a synopsis of expression and generalized experience presented to the viewer, is where we go wrong. Not only does it force an artist’s thoughts into a small list of bullet points, easily understood by the viewer, but it completely fails to acknowledge the process that went into the work. The experiences aiding in its creation, the release of personal narratives whether that be shared or unaccompanied, ideas that are personal or reflective, and motives that ring with revolutionary power or passively float by. The differences here do not matter, what is important is that they were an experience of time and place. They were intimate, representative of unique moments, an alteration of time in which the reenactment of a daily agenda was not continued. The final product is than arguably not what remains after the processes, but the experiences that went into it.  

While the ideas presented above may argue against the sedentary relationship we share with the past. There are a few artists from history whose revolutionary mindsets speak as a source of inspiration within the context of contemporary times. The view that I have formulated about performances constituting as art is twofold. First the form in which a performance piece takes followed by how the work exists after the moment concludes. The allure of performance art is in chance. It is the presentation of a space paired with a segment of time, existing only in one distinct moment and then never again. A canvas unable to be recreated exactly or destroyed, an intangible pictorialization of concept. There is no way for a viewer to alter its notability, for societies presence to overpower and smother the life out of the work. Why? Because they were not there, the experience was shared only with materials, performers, and the intentions of the artistic mind. All of which cease to exist as they did in that moment, performance: an impalpable art. These ideas are further supported by artists like Carolee Schneemann, whose works like Meat Joy speak to the importance of environment, force in action, and instantiations projections of emotion:

“My exploration of an image-in-movement means only that its realization supersedes (or coincides with) my evocation of it. This is not a predictable, predetermined process: in the pressure to externalize a particular sensation or quality of form other circumstances or “attributes’ may be discovered which are so clear and exact that the function of the original impulse is understood as touchstone and guide to the unexpected. “Chance” becomes one aspect of a process in which I came to recognize a necessity—the way unpredictable, incalculable advances within my own conscious intent.” (Schneemann, Pg. 716) 

It is ideas like these that inspire my opinions relating to art as performance. With its most important role being an inward stimulation of reactions to reality blended with the prospect of chance in a moment. A combination that outward presents something entirely new and inescapably personal. The artists who are capable of this are the ones who let go, who open up to the what ifs, letting life be the only authority qualified for creative manipulation.

The employment of chance, of person and place, and creating entirely in the moment allows for an art with endless possibilities. The freedom that all artists crave but most often do not find, as they continuously fall into the traps of museum purgatory. In speaking to the opportunities of performance art it is important to express the determination of society to taint all free art, an occurrence that has plagued artists from history up unto the present. An example of an artist who rebelled against these relationships is Jean- Jaques Lebel, further seen in his piece Pour conjurer l'espirt de catastrophe. In which he described the impact of society on art as “cultural ‘policing’ by sterile watch dogs with set ideas, who think that they are capable of deciding whether such and such an image, seen from a distance, is “good” or “bad”.” (Label, Pg. 719). It is these same contemporary advancements, unknown forms, Avant Garde ideologies, and fresh occurrences that must be kept sacred. Kept away from the individuals whose biggest desire is to “discover them”, and in doing this they demonstrate they will never truly understand. As they wish to uncover an event that already occurred, tainting the work by making it something it never was. To slap a name on someone else’s experience, throwing it into a system of artistic hierarchy, and thus erasing all the creative energies and original intentions of that work. The function of the artist in concerns to performance art than becomes clear, in that:

“no crisis of the mind can exist independently of the social predicament, and artists… are … almost the only people, together with criminals and revolutionaries, to react against this loss, to assume it and express it, which is precisely, and infringement of the rules… “(Label, Pg. 719)

The overall goal of an individual constructing a performance does not have to be a visual revolution against the greater society, although it certainty can. Instead, an acknowledgment that in creation; performance is and should always be a radical formation of creative energies in opposition to any structures or establishments that suppress one's experience of the real.  More specifically the artists understanding that the employment of performance art, if desired, has the potential to overrule the sterile toxicities consuming modern art. In addition, the acceptance that whatever will remain will never be as valuable as what occurred.

(II) Expression, Existence, Experience

The formulation of my ideologies pertaining to performance art can be accredited to a handful of contemporary artists, whose performances provided me a greater understanding and ample inspiration. Specifically, the admiration felt for artists Dash Snow, Dan Colen, and Agathe Snow, and the resemblance of aspects pertaining to their performances that I wish to be present in my own. In particular the freedom of expression, documentation of individual existence, and the power that shared experience can have on creative process. The effectiveness of these elements can best be understood by an evaluation of three separate works, each providing an example of a specific aspect of interest.

In 2007, Dash Snow and Dan Colen were commissioned by Jeffery Deitch to recreate their rendition of a human hamster nest within his New York City gallery. For three days a team of artists shredded two-thousand telephone books into piles of paper that would act as the bedding for their nest. After the preparation was complete Snow, Colen, and a close-knit group of individuals (friends, family, and fellow artists) spent the next four days existing within this space. It was during this time that they were given total artistic freedoms to do whatever they felt necessary within the room. Later Deitch would explain that “the artists themselves were not interested in the destruction that lies in their wake per-se but sought rather a total freedom of expression, and an expression of their relationships with each other and the members of their community.” (Deitch).  The work, eventually known as Nest, is important in that the performance of the piece was not done for the sake of making a statement or to change the perspective of potential viewers. Instead, Nest functioned as an artistic sanctuary. A place in which artists were free to be together, create together, and be inspired by the experience they were sharing in that moment. The communal experience within those walls protected the group from the social constraints surrounding them. A shelter that allowed for a performance of chance, in which no outcome could be predicted or predetermined, rather supported, and encouraged.  In reflection the ideas of Nest:

“Were all about wanting to invent a new place where only your rule is relevant. Both his and Snow’s developing practices were suffused with a sense of hedonistic autonomy, a forceful focus inward that informed both their aesthetics and their lifestyles.” (Linden)

The consideration of Nest is influential, in that the actual performance was done completely in private. Only the people invited were allowed to aid these artists in the completion of their vision. A performance with absolute freedom, lacking insight or interjection from the outside world. Once the happening concluded and everyone went home, all that remained for public observance was the graffiti, paper and liter covering the walls and floors. Evidence of inhabitance, acting as a symbolic representation of relationship.  The remains left behind on display did not speak to the actual performance per se, but to the potentials that arise when individuals gather and create for the sake of creating.

As an acknowledgment of the affection felt for Dash Snow, Dan Colen sought out a way to commemorate his friend. Eventually deciding to recreate the walls of Snows Avenue C apartment, a wall that over the year's was staple gunned with photographs, news articles, drawings, clothing, trash, graffiti, etc. While chaotic in appearance and confusing to individuals unassociated with their group, Snows living room wall served as a record of life. An eloquent illustration of experiences, further representative of himself and the individuals considered most significant. In 2006 Colen completed Secrets and Cymbals, Smoke and Scissors (My Friend Dash’s Wall in the Future), a lifelike painting of the wall that “imbues the collected ephemera of a person’s existence with a heightened drama, creating both an exacted portrait and a monument of wonder.” (SAATCHI).  While the element of performance in this piece is not the work of art in discussion, but rather what the painting was depicting. I felt the inclusion of Colen’s work was essential for supporting my own attitudes on what a performance is, and what it can signify. Snow’s wall, in real-life or as a painting, exemplifies the portrayal of a person for who they are, rather than what they are. A visual representation of a person’s essence, their internal self, in other words who someone really is. All of which are aspects of an individual that often go unknown in shallow relations, only being brought out when genuine connections and understandings are fostered. An individual’s existence is comparable to performance in that it stems much further than surface level appearance, constantly changing within the context of the moment. Much of the art in society is than comparable to how we as individuals outwardly present ourselves; a face, a name, a superficial label, generated by the forces of society lacking both essence and originality.

The last Artist of consideration is Agathe Snow and her 2015 film Stamina. In 2005 Snow initiated a 24-hour dance party, attempting to document moments shared between the individual partaking in a response to post 9-11 life, and the influence a sense of community can have on group dynamics. The relevance of Stamina in conversation with the function of performance art, is that it speaks to the documentation of life. Life being independent and unpredictable, and similarly performance art unmanufactured and immediate. From the start Snow’s desire to document the events occurring in front of her faced problems, in which she describes:

“Party starts. We have 365 people, 9 cameras, and about 15 camera operators. By the twelfth hour, we had one camera stolen, with half the tapes that were recorded on it. So when you look at the film, there are a few actions that make absolutely no sense. There’s a bar mitzvah. There’s a gang of thieves. By six in the morning, we gave up, and it was just a party. I realized that there was no way to do what we had originally thought we were going to do with it. And so I put it away as a document about these people that were all in the creative field” (Snow)

The events originally seen as setback for what she had initially envisioned, in my opinion are what ended up strengthening the work. Not only do they represent the true nature of life, but they speak to processes of turning current moments into art. If performance art is synonymous with life, then we must accept that this form of art cannot be controlled or predicted. When making art out of experience we must succumb to the prospect of chance, further embracing it as a measure of artistic honesty. What Snow eventually produced from this footage, was far more dynamic than that of full coverage video surveillance. Instead, the film serves as an “exploration of social interactions, rebellion, and the redemptive power of human ingenuity and community.” (Snow). By embracing the circumstances of life Snow was able to documents the actualities of behavior, uninhibited experiences, and the nature of sincere relationships. In this way artist, process, and subject are indistinguishable from each other, footage of life and art as footage. Performance art; the unification of space, time, freedom, emotion, relations, and chance. An opportunity for creation.

(III) The Prospect of Creating  

The elements crucial for consideration when producing art as performance are the form that it takes, how it unfolds visually, and reasoning, the objectives for why it was created. These features should not be distinctly separate if anything the interrelatedness they share heightens the power of the work. Reasoning provides structure to form, and form strengthens the argument in reason. Chance is a Verb started as decoupaged drop cloth, a canvas decorated with scraps pertaining to facets of individual existence. Prior to the occurrence of this contemporary happening, in the absence of the artists and performer, the canvas existed as an individualistic depiction of self. A conglomeration of notes, drawings, letters, wrappers, tickets, schedules, photographs etc. All of which strengthened an attempt in defining us a people, channeling our central essence, and projecting it evidently. However, despite the effort, this attempt failed in depicting overall existence. In this way the canvas became a platform to perform on. By incorporating time and space, interaction between body and canvas, what remains speaks to exact moments in time and the moments that are no longer. The canvas presents us as who we are, and what we left after interacting with it. Yet these interactions in themselves, fleeting in nature, exist only in the moments in which they occurred.

The performance that took place after manipulating the canvas is representative of two overarching ideas. The first being that the work functions as a visual narration of how it feels to be a creative individual within today’s world. A depiction that while based off events personal to me, hopefully encapsulates the experiences of individuals on a greater scale. To simulate artistic thought, process, and creation, as well as the impact society can have on them, certain performative elements were incorporated. All of which were integrated to demonstrate limitations, whether this be age, gender, income, education etc., there is an infinite list of factors standing in the way of achieving total artistic freedom. In this performance controls were represented by the limited size of the canvas, allowing the performance to only exist within its defined parameter. Additionally, the material provided to the performer and the ways in which they were able to be used. In the beginning there was a large selection of art supplies available, however once a material was used, it was removed from the selection and unable to be used again. Further illustrating that many choices in life are more permanent and restrictive than initially believed to be. Especially in relation to artist and approach, in that certain artistic styles and choices of mediums seem to become fixed with the artist, discouraging any attempt at artistic innovation.

To counterbalance the repressive nature of societal tendencies, the elements of limitation were joined with the prospect of anonymity. As a rule, I have always tried to put forth an honest portrayal of myself, whether that be how I appear, the emotions I am feeling, or the imagery resonating in my artwork. With that said, there are still times I have felt apprehensive in doing this, and or did change my persona regarding the setting I was in. The main reasons for doing this stem from the judgment I feared from my surroundings, from what society labels right or wrong, ugly or beautiful, popular or bizarre. The tendencies to include some but not all, in which the phenomenon of self-expression becomes obsolete. To alleviate these feelings masks were worn during the performance, to promote self-expression and reduce the fear of associating negative contexts with the surface level qualities society considers as self (face and name). Additionally, the masks support the freedom of action elevating the burden that one's choices often become associated with your identity as an artist. If you take pictures, you're a photographer, if you enjoy painting you can only be a painter, once you have an established style you must stick to it etc. In these ways the performance provides commentary about the part society plays during creative process, and while certain elements pertaining to this relationship were intentionally included. The overall goal of the performance is far more than a fight against societal forces, leading to the second idea associated with Chance is a verb.

Stepping back from the elements of the performance that allowed an encompassment of organized limitations and artistic process, a more positive theme runs deeper than the superficial aspects of its presentation.  As the artist who formulated the concepts associated with this work, it would make sense that I be the one to preform it. However, in presenting my beliefs on the power of art and the opportunities I feel are possible when creative minds work collectively. I decided to invite a central figure in my artistic career thus far to preform my ideas for me. In doing this I feel I was able to demonstrate my opinion that a greater number of possibilities becomes accessible when creativity is shared. While I may have made a few brief appearances throughout the performance, the performer who should be credited with allowing the work to become what it did is my dear friend and inspiration Keara Savage. Keara’s role in this performance is multifaceted in that she represents an aspect of the performance that is more personal, as she is someone in which I share a close friendship. She was able to provide me an outlet in which I could collaborate on ideas, talk through potential directions, and feel energized from the companionship of her creative spirit. While at the same time her presence in the piece stands as a symbol of the artists mutual desire for freedom of expression. In this way, as a team, we stood as individuals, as friends, as performers and as artists in testament to the allegiance we feel in creating art for the sake of creating. Keara chose to be in this piece, not just because she supports my artistic endeavors as a friend, but because she believed in what I was trying to accomplish, and as a fellow artist felt she could contribute to achieving the intention. The desire to be a part of something bigger, is to be a part of something artistic.

I find that my attraction to art, and the scene surrounding it, has always stemmed from the rebellious nature of the individuals involved. The affinity towards people, who like me, chose to break certain rules in the pursuit of creating something new and important, no matter the scale. Creating for what you believe in, for an expression of truth in experience. This performance is about us, its personal, while at the same time a projection of arts dexterity, and implications thrust upon it from society.  But it's not about changing the systems that oppress us as artists, it's about ignoring the structure entirely. A removal of ourselves from the constructs of a monotone system filled with identical people. It's about utilizing the aspects of life that the institutions can never touch.  A performance sustained off creation, experience, chance, and life.  A performance that symbolizes, and further praises art making that is free of limitation, that honestly portrays life, and encourages an environment of creative understanding. The prospect of creating, the synthesis of living as art.

(IV) Introspective

I have always felt that an event is considerably significant if you reminisce after it's occurrence. Whether it be positive or negative, pleasant or painful, the act of incorporating an experience into present time is a demonstrative measure for how notable an occurrence was, in relation to the greater context of your life. The events that unfolded during the performance of Chance is a verb justify my opinions of recollection signifying meaning, and while they may never mean as much to others, compared to the performers, I know they will never be forgotten. The development of affairs that manifested during the performance was everything I had hoped for, while simultaneously nothing I could have anticipated. It is these unforeseen events that the success of the piece can be attributed, not because it ran smoothly or that I completed the assigned project on time, but because everything I admire about performance art transpired amongst us. In the end my attempt to produce a worked that reflected my attitudes about art and its function, by manipulating specific visual elements to represent societal impact failed. Yet these elements were fixed, predetermined, and unnatural, and their failure to exist within the performance, only speaks to the success I think my work ended up having. The earlier sections of this essay spoke to the admiration I felt in other artists performances, artists who were able to gather a group of people, and create something worth wile, a work that was notable enough to be considered a performance. They were able to achieve something that forced a bigger conversation, to channel the energy of the present, while simultaneously giving in and accepting the forces of life. Producing works of art that were immediate and personal, yet somehow still engaging to the outside observer. In all honesty, as much as I praised these ability’s, I never felt that this work would achieve the same effect. Maybe because I am not a notable artist, or maybe because I still had underlying doubts on performance as an art form. Yet the moments I witnessed during the performance of Chance is a verb not only surprised me, but solidified my opinions of arts greatest strength being the experience it can provides.

I will never be able to present a full account of what was felt, seen, and done for the individuals not present. There is no narrative descriptive enough, no pictures clear enough, or video footage totally representative of these beautiful moments. To give some context to the effects that chance, life, and shared experience had on this work a brief overview can be given. However, it must be stressed that this generalized outline relates more to my own perspective and interpretation of what occurred, and that other individuals may have had drastically differing experiences from my own.

At around 2:30 in the afternoon last Saturday, Keara and I decided to begin the performance. The canvas was laid out in our back alley along with supplies to aid in her creative endeavors. We sat in the performance space briefly, discussing future art project ideas, and drinking prosecco until we felt are nerves had faded. We put on our masks, and Keara headphones, to help us feel more confident in public. Keara begin to dance, spreading paint around her as she went, while listening to music that blocked out the world around her. Not long after we began Keara’s phone died, meaning she had no other option then to face her surroundings. It was around this same time that I realized I had failed to take away materials after they were used, as I had been to worried about taking pictures for documentation. These early moments represent the aspects of the performance that I feel were not as strong, they were to forced and focused leading to an avoidance of actual creation.

Not long after things started to “go wrong”, the real performance began.  Friends started to show up, a dog joined us, and our neighbors looked out to see what was going on. Music blasted, and loose energies increased. At one point Keara decided to cut off her tights with scissors, people took off their shirts, bras, shoes, etc. By this time, we had given up on Keara being the only one able to perform, as the presence of surrounding individuals was exciting and in an attempt to keep them around, we invited them to partake. Eventually my cameras started to die, and I ran out of film, in which my only option was to partake with everyone else. A performance that was only planned to take around 30 minutes, had already gone on for three hours. Only getting bigger, as time went on, people came and went, coming back to check if we were still out there, or to contribute another mark here or there. What surprised me most was how open everyone was to the idea, even cars that tried to get by respected our occupation of the public road, choosing to back up rather than make us move. Even more extraordinary was how eager people were to participate, and the diversity we shared within the group. There were members of the men’s Bucknell swim team, a girl from down the road, a dog, and individuals of all different ages. All bringing different perspectives yet relating in their desire to be a part of something shared. One notable participant was a man named Spired, who lives a few houses down from us, but had never been formally introduced. On his walk home Spider stopped, and asked us what we were doing, he said he had been watching us all day and was totally confused. Without providing an explanation we asked if he would like to participate, and to my surprise he sat down on the ground and began painting with his hands.

Around hour 6 the sun began to set, Spider had left, and we knew it was time to clean up. The energies from this experience however had not subsided, continuing from the alley to our backyard. At one point Spider returned with three belongings of his from the 70’s, objects he considered symbolic of his art from an earlier version of himself. More specifically a Grateful Dead shirt he had screen printed, a tie died sweatshirt, and a Bob Marly painting. He asked me if he could cut off a sleeve from one of the shirts and contribute it to the canvas, that way a past version of himself could live on in a new form, while at the same time he could be reminded of this experince when wearing the shirt with the missing sleeve. Spiders’ willingness to participate, and the ideologies behind what he wanted to contribute perfectly embody the aspects of Chance is a verb that made it so special. The organization of a community that happened almost immediately, functioning only in relation to our shared desire to experience creative freedom, in which we let lose all suppressed expression. A present experience that was lively and powerful, depicted on a canvas that incorporated instantaneous moment, past experiences, and future memory.

When I walked outside the next day, and looked at the canvas that remained from the day before I felt a sense of wholeness. There were so many parts of the canvas that I had not noticed being added during the performance. Each little drawing, mark of paint or bit of writing was representative of individual interactions with the work, now residing on the canvas as the only evidence of their presence in a time since past. On their own the elements each person contributed were special to them, unique in mindset and meaning. When taken as a whole these elements remain personal, as they symbolize us as a group, but more so they express the experiences we shared as one. In this way the canvas exemplifies the power of performance art, as the acceptance and therefor influence that freedom of individuality and experience in motion can have on fixed dynamics.