Performance
Release
TRIGGER WARNING!!! BLOOD/NEEDLES
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ9Y75FNVXs
What does it mean to put on a "performance"? I think about a person, or multiple people, using their human vessel to captivate an audience. I might think about a theatrical production, or perhaps a group of dancers choreographing a show. Performance, however, translates into art. An artist may use the live actions of their body in real time to create an artwork. Most pieces of performance art are meant to provoke and challenge an audience. Regarding performance art, Khan Academy explains, "Although the term encompasses a broad range of artistic practices that involve bodily experience and live action, its radical connotations derive from this challenge to conventional social mores and artistic values of the past," (Khan Academy, Spivy 1998). Taking inspiration from artists such as Ana Mendieta; I have taken a rather taboo route into the world of body modification to produce a meaningful performance touching on themes of identity, societal/gender norms, and cultural history.
"She urged viewers to disregard their gender, race or other defining societal factors and instead connect with the humanity they share with others," Monica Castillo writes in her 2016 New York Times article on Ana Mendieta. When deciding on an idea for my own performance, these are the concepts I kept in mind. Ultimately, I explored the art of piercing. Body piercing is an art that dates back thousands of years before Christ. In ancient Mesopotamia, people adorned their bodies with piercing jewelry as a form of self expression; primarily the same reason people get piercings today. In other cultures, such as in ancient Mayan, Aztec, and Native cultures, they often used the ritual of blood-letting as a religious practice believed to bring them closer to their higher power. One spiritual performance done within these practices is the act of play piercing. Play piercing, or recreational acupuncture, are episodes in time that aesthetically arrange needles or other tools on one's body to provide a temporary adornment for the purpose of the experience. These episodes allow the wounds to heal immediately, as the instruments are removed directly following design completion. Regarding cultural significance, play piercing sessions are performed by ancient tribes to rid oneself of negative energies and to protect against bad spirits. Today, this practice is used for the same reasons, as well as for the sole purpose of entertainment and identity expression.
As someone who works at a body piercing studio, I was able to ask my boss and a few of my coworkers to help me execute this performance. In my play piercing session, we used 24 sterile needles, and I endured a total of 48 consensual stabbings along the sides of my upper back. Attached to the the end of each needle was a black feather to imitate a pair of wings in the end result; more specifically, a crow. The word 'crow' is what my last name, Corvi, translates to in Italian; I often find myself spiritually connected to the animal as a whole. They symbolize death, yet they still soar. Following the impaling, I sat for an audience of about 15 people as they observed and took photographs of me. Finally, the release, where the needles were safely removed.
Although never completing a play piercing session; Ana Mendieta heavily influenced my direction throughout this project. In my eyes, her work brought shock value to the table; something a lot of audiences get uncomfortable with. This is especially when it is produced by a young woman. Mendieta's sister states in Castillo's New York Times article, "'Nothing that she did ever surprised me. She was always very dramatic, even as a child — and liked to push the envelope, to give people a start, to shock them a little bit. It was who she was, and she enjoyed it very much. And she laughed about it sometimes when people got freaked out.'" Her works such as Rape Scene and Untitled (Glass on Body Imprints) are both beautiful examples of how a woman can use her body to create works that break societal boundaries, often leaving viewers with questions. Mendieta's artworks challenged how a woman should or should not behave and be perceived. Post completing my own performance piece, I have faced backlash from numerous people, both family and strangers, ignorantly discouraging my actions due to preconceived perception. Societal norms are nothing but a construct. Testing the limits is exhilarating.
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Instruction Pieces
JAR PIECE
Scream everything your heart is feeling
Put your screams into a jar
Give them the jar 5 years from now
NIGHT PIECE
Wait until nighttime
Turn all the lights off
Sit on the couch
Light a match
Set the couch on fire
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