Comments on: SLCC Abstract http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2006/07/06/slcc-abstract/ Intellagirl Ponders the Possibilities Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:48:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Amy http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2006/07/06/slcc-abstract/#comment-21 Sun, 09 Jul 2006 14:36:51 +0000 http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2006/07/06/slcc-abstract/#comment-21 This is really interesting - please let me know as your research goes on about this topic. I think the simple act of taking on a new role in SL is much closer to what is truly interesting in performance art (as we were talking about) than trying to do something more "exotic" or knowingly performing to an audience. Martha Wilson, owner/director of Franklin Furnace (long one of the most influential performance art spaces in the US) has a quote about what performance art is. I won't try to quote it exactly, but it is to the effect of - there is broadway, there is off-broadway, there is off-off-broadway, and then there's performance art; PA is the term reserved for performances that cannot be placed into any of the other categories. It's a sloppy definition, but it actually makes sense - we all know a Broadway play when we see it, but how do we know if we're seeing performance art? We don't, and that's actually the power and most interesting thing about it. You see something strange (or perhaps banal) and it might be art, it might not be. It makes you question what is real in the world around you and what is "just" art. And how is a performance any less real - to the performer or the audience - than something not performed? Or more real? Oh, I could go on and on. But I've terrorized your blog enough! This is really interesting - please let me know as your research goes on about this topic. I think the simple act of taking on a new role in SL is much closer to what is truly interesting in performance art (as we were talking about) than trying to do something more “exotic” or knowingly performing to an audience.

Martha Wilson, owner/director of Franklin Furnace (long one of the most influential performance art spaces in the US) has a quote about what performance art is. I won’t try to quote it exactly, but it is to the effect of - there is broadway, there is off-broadway, there is off-off-broadway, and then there’s performance art; PA is the term reserved for performances that cannot be placed into any of the other categories. It’s a sloppy definition, but it actually makes sense - we all know a Broadway play when we see it, but how do we know if we’re seeing performance art?

We don’t, and that’s actually the power and most interesting thing about it. You see something strange (or perhaps banal) and it might be art, it might not be. It makes you question what is real in the world around you and what is “just” art. And how is a performance any less real - to the performer or the audience - than something not performed? Or more real?

Oh, I could go on and on. But I’ve terrorized your blog enough!

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