Are we in danger of loosing the only present art form? I think this depends on the artists such as our selves to keep it alive. We as theatre people can read these articles and express what is present what is performance, when really, it is up to the audience and the world to decide. When Addie referenced Acconci's, Seedbed, I would definitely say that the general public would not understand this, and would for the most part not consider this to be art. However, they can't deny that it is present, since we can gage when a person has completed this particular act, it is very in the moment. It is a real action with a real result, which can't be faked in order to leave an impact, which is what art is all about. We look for shock value as a society and I think the general public feeds on that, which is why in certain performance, doing something for real will invoke a feeling in the audience, where imitation will not. We could loose theatre, I think it's very possible but we have to commit to bringing the theatre into the 21st century.
I think that Huyssen's idea on 'imagined memory ' is interesting, and reminds me of my time just before I moved to Louisiana. Right before I moved here, the giant oil spill happened. Everyday at my waiting job I watched CNN report on the spill. How the community reacted, the state of affairs for locals and fishermen. This made me apprehensive to move to Louisiana, also at this time hurricanes were hitting Louisiana. All of these events reported on the news put a different idea into my head about Louisiana in general and added to my apprehension of moving here. I was very nervous when I left, and was convinced I was moving to an area of crisis and devastation. When I moved here I realized that the media made all of the events seem as if they were more intense then they really were. Those events happened, but the locals point of view was drastically different to what I had seen in Colorado on the news. It goes to show, that the media has a large hold of our opinions and effects our point of view in a huge way. The media can come up with its own version of truth and make it a reality for all of us watching.
I agree. Something like SEEDBED would probably be too much for Baton Rouge…or I would even go so far as to say most non-metropolitan cities. I'm not sure how "creative" they would consider something like that…But this performance seems to fit in the time period it happened. Sandra Parks talks about how certain dance forms revolutionized the art form at that time…but wouldn't necessarily "work" for our current time in history. I don't recall how SEEDBED was presented either from the Carlson article. I know it was performed under a ramp…but was it on the property of an art gallery or museum? Depending on when the performance was "staged" would have a different impact as well. Some may view the experience differently in front of MoMA instead of in Central Park.
ReplyDeleteThe media does have a big impact on how we perceive events. I sympathize with you when being apprehensive to moving to Louisiana after the Oil Spill. When I considered moving to New Orleans awhile back (before coming to LSU), my family told me to reconsider due to what happened to Katrina. After the murders in Chicago recently, I find myself questioning whether or not I want to live there…it just goes to show the power that the media plays in our perceptions.