Hey! My name is Grace, and I am from Brantford. I am a third-year student in the Creative Arts, Health, and Wellness program, majoring in Studio Art.
Marina Abramovic
After watching the film, I learned that Marina is extremely engaged and committed to her artwork; she uses the body as a way to make statements and challenge the audience. She captivates the audience by making the core of her artwork the shared experiences between the audience and the artwork, provoking intense emotion in her audience. I admire how she shows great courage by using her own body as her medium, testing her limits physically and mentally and ultimately achieving a connection with her audience. Even after being told to stop the performance due to health complications, she shows great dedication and fearlessness and refuses to end the performance.
However, it is problematic that she goes to such extremes, putting her own life at risk. Her piece “The Artist is Present” consisted of her sitting in a chair for three months daily, where she remained upright and immobile. She refrained from eating, drinking, and taking bathroom breaks while performing. All of which caused great harm and strain, negatively impacting her health. Yet, the piece did show great success as it provoked intense emotions amongst the participants and became very popular as it seemed to create a profound human connection without speaking or touching.
I learned that performance is a state of mind. It isn’t something you just simply do or act, but rather something you live. Performance art pushes physical and mental limits, often in front of an audience, showcasing vulnerability and conveying profound emotions to both the performer and the viewer. The quote “when you perform it is a knife and your blood, when you act it is a fake knife and ketchup” alludes to the fact that performance is very personal, real and raw human emotion, whereas acting is almost like putting on a mask and covering up those raw and personal emotions.
One Kilometre
Roots and Rubbish
After hearing the prompt of “a kilometre”, I decided to reflect on the many ways we travel a kilometre, or how the form of measurement is used in our everyday lives. To decompress, I often enjoy going for trail walks, typically on the same trail near my house.
I pass by trash and litter every day, which led me to think that picking up all the litter that I found on the trail for a kilometre and repurposing it would be a good way to give back to the environment. With the discarded trash, I decided to make flowers, as they are typically something we view as beautiful. I decided to also pick up some leaves and grass and included those in my piece as well. Those pieces, along with the location of the final piece, aid in resembling how the flowers made of trash are permanent; however, the leaves and grass will rot and die.
Turning the Gestures of Everyday Life Into Art
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