Research

Performance Art Resources

Performance Art Resources is a perpetually in progress world-wide performance and live artist resource. Covering artists and organizations from around the world, along with links to literature, articles, and even links to help support artists who are in danger.

Phase one is to find artists around the world, creating a searchable database that can be used to find and connect artists in Ghana, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, or Finland. With over 215 countries and over 3,500 artists listed so far, Performance Art Resources (PAR) is just beginning. More artists from regions all over the world are being added daily, and individual artists and organizations are being researched for more accurate information. Pages of information on festivals, literature, durational art, and more offer easy access to specific areas and needs for research and artists.

Phase two of PAR is adding a full database with search functions for artists, type of work, region, and focus (durational, feminist, political, etc.).

Phase three involves addressing colonization, oppression, borders and migrations. How performance artists everywhere are responding to colonization, incorporating older regional forms of performance and art into the framework of performance / action / live art. To this end the voices of the artists, scholars, and curators will be enlisted in addressing the connections and realities of the artists around the world.

This work was started in order to facilitate an online class lesson plan for a performance art class. Lacking resources for world-wide international artists, I started making a list which grew until the site lists over 3500 artists in 162 countries. Research continues to find artists in every country in the world as well as fleshing out countries already started.

This project is self funded and open to anyone who needs access to this information to create, promote, produce, and support performance artists and live art. So far over 21,000+ people have visited the site from 159 countries.

Inefficient Systems

In creating work designed to engage and interact with audiences, new paradigms need to be developed to balance the integrity of the movement work while offering actual, natural engagement with the audience. Working with Human Computer Interaction theory, strategies can be developed to approach and structure the dance work and the space for authentic interactions and powerful experiences. These systems are often distinct from traditional European style theater spaces which are efficient for maximizing seats and controlling variables, but often lack higher level engagement of the audience.

Inefficient systems require the viewer to act, think, and engage to see and experience a performance or installation. Perhaps it is gamifying dance and movement based art, but not in a frivolous way. But rather, encouraging viewers to become co-creators of the work through designing their own path to viewing.

Labor / dance

The beauty of labor for it’s own sake. There is no actual difference between movement designed for create presentation (dance forms) and movement designed to create change (labor). Dance is labor, often unrecognized by both choreographers and audiences as well as laborers. To this end, I have created a series of labor based installations which offer both a connection to nature (dragging logs through New York City, hanging off of buildings to feed birds, holding out salt bricks for deer in fields…). These dances exist as single thoughts, of simple, performative, and thought provoking motion.

Installations

I make installations that interact with people.

Crying Machines help you cry when you really need it

Censor Yourself is clothing that allows you to write (and censor) your own messages

Migrations – a work that illuminates the paths people take, sound installations for multiple groups with phones