Performance Art

 The performance art movement began to shake up the art world in the 1960’s. Marina Abramovic and Rirkrit Tiravanija works reflect different usages of performance and an interactive viewer experience. The explosion of performance and relational art is examined through different movements within the art world. Artists are always searching for new ways of interacting with their viewer. 

The Serbian born New York based artist, Marina Abramovic refers to herself as “the grandmother of performance art”. In 2010, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Abramovic sat in silence opposite the museum visitors for seven hundred and fifty hours, which is eight to ten hours a day for seventy seven days. Abramovic’s early work in the 1970’s was known for its physical daring. She abused herself through starvation, fire, drugs and self-cutting. Although more subtle than starvation and blood, The Artist is Present was extreme in its physical requirements. 

She says she endured enormous physical pain sitting motionless for hours under the bright klieg lights in the MoMa’s atrium. Abramovic is always pushes herself physically and mentally in pursuit of her art. Her goal in creating The Artist is Present was to create “an emotional connection with anyone who wants to look at me for however long”. 

While no words were exchanged and Abramovic sat with an intense stare she evoked different responses making many viewers question her performance as art.

 Rirkrit Tiravanija, a New York based artist born in Buenos Aires, has cooked Pad Thai in front of an audience. Unlike Marina Abramovic, this work is centered on engaging viewers in a comforting interactive experience. An Untitled (Still 1992) at 303 Gallery in New York City, housed his model kitchen where he would prepare Pad Thai [the go-to order in dish] for an audience. Whenever he was not at the gallery, the exhibit was “the detritus, utensils, and food packets became the art exhibit” (Bishop, 56).  

Tiravanija’s take on the visitors is that “this involvement of the audience is the main focus of his work: the food is but a means to allow a convivial relationship between audience and artist to develop” (Bishop, 56).

The act of cooking Pad Thai in front of people was essential to Tiravanija’s work and insisted that viewers be present to create his relational art. Performance art tries to elicit an emotional reaction by directly engaging the viewers in a physical way.

POP Goes the Designer!

Jeremy Scott: The Peoples Designer, 

a documentary directed by Vlad Yudin released this past September, features many musicians such as, A$ap Rocky, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, 2NE1, Jared Leto, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Rita Ora and the list goes on. Scott is a pop culture iconic fashion designer linked to the music industry and has exploded the boundaries of fashion through his creativity and doing things his way. He heads his own brand and also is the creative director of Moschino. Scott’s unique vision for Moschino has impacted fashion, art and the music industry. Since his debut as creative director of Moschino in 2013, the public has seen mainstream commercial brands like McDonalds, and most recently Windex, inspire his high fashion collection. From Miley Cyrus to Katy Perry and Rihanna, the list of A-list musicians wearing the McDonald’s logo continues.

The playful designs can be considered costume-like and a gimmick, which is why Scott’s designs are considered provocative to the fashion world. Is Scott intentionally challenging high fashion’s relationship to mainstream commerce, where burgers and French fries don’t mix with French couture? What motivates him to merge these two extremes in our society’s culture? Is Scott’s role in the fashion industry similar to what Andy Warhol’s role was in the art world?

Both artists have used Americana to their advantage by repositioning mainstream objects in the public’s consciousness. Neither Warhol nor Scott created the iconic Campbell Soup can or the McDonald’s golden arches, yet they both take from these global giants and use branded identity as a way for their own brand to attract media attention. For Scott, he puts his own name at the center of attention by exploiting another identity.

 Even though he is using another person’s work from the colors of the McDonalds logo to the text and overall replica of it, he is creating something new that is a polar opposite from that fast food industry. He is using a cultural phenomenon to enhance fashion.

As many disparate cultural elements are brought into conversation with each other, celebrity performances, late night drive-through party lifestyle to create fun subversive fashion worn in good humor. 

As a result, this envelope pushing fashion has attracted many musicians who are eager for that extra x-factor to add to their appearance. When the musician wears his designs, they are wearing his art and in turn it benefits both of the artists (promoting their own individual brands, the musicians identity and the designers brand). 

Whether or not you think his designs are considered fashion, we can say that Jeremy Scott's designs can evoke some emotional reaction. Additionally, Scott has brought a form of art to multiple mediums with a special connection to the music world. 

In the future, will he be considered a pop art designer for this generation or a passing fad? How long will we be entertained by his constant references to pop culture? One thing is for sure that everything touched by Scott is eye catching, over the top and translates well in a performance and onto the stage. 

Taylor Wins Again!

Taylor Swift wins the 2015 VMA Music Video of the year (as well as: best female video, pop video for Blank Space and best collaboration for Bad Blood). As soon as her name is called, she hugs her Bad Blood posse and struts to the stage hand in hand with them. Taylor’s team of models and celebrities can support her in case she has another run in with Kanye West (like she had when she won the award for best female video in 2009 for You Belong with Me). 

At the 2009 VMA’s at Radio City Music Hall, the viewers were stunned by Kanye’s verbal attack (“I’m gonna let you finish, but… I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!") on this young, seemingly innocent, hard-working country singer. Years later, both of these artist have transformed and matured. Kanye now has a daughter and a wife and has other career interest including a fashion collection. Taylor has dealt with public heartbreak that she has mined into hit songs and a broader appeal beyond teenagers who like country and pop.

At this years VMA’s, Taylor Swift presents Kanye the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award , reminding the viewers of their past history. As Taylor gives her speech to Kanye she jokingly concludes with the same remarks he said to her in 2009, “I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish, but Kanye West has had one of the greatest careers of all time! I am honored to present the 2015 Vanguard Award to Kanye West!".

MTV continues to play on this public feud between Taylor and Kanye. During Kanye's acceptance speech, he mentions how much attention this conflict brought MTV, and says,“You know how many times MTV ran that footage again? Because it got them more ratings. You know how many times they announced Taylor was going to give me the award [tonight]. Because it got them more ratings. Listen to the kids, bruh!” MTV wont let the public forget.

In the end, they both leave that night with a happily ever after ending, they leave that night as winners and seemed to publicly put the past in the past.