EDMODO

Choose your three favorite performance artists and study how are they related. What do they have in common? Is technology an essential component in their work? Answer also this question "What is to be done" in the field of Performance Art.

The three performance artists I have chosen are  Joseph Beuys,Yoko Ono, and Nam June Paik. All three of these artists have a central figure that is acting/performing tasks/or interacting using various objects for their performance. In Joseph Beuys Filz TV, he has a man watching a television and working around it, such as cutting a sausage. Although it has nothing to relate to the television, the placement makes it seem important instead of simply a background prop. Yoko Ono also has a central figure, a woman. Slowly her clothing is snipped away with scizzors, exposing her to the viewer. Small snippets are made for the majority of the performance and the woman does not object or say anything for that matter. Nam June Paik integrates himself into the work, but reconstructs technology, such as TV's to create a cello, and thus gives more importance to the object made. All three have the central figures performing with their specific objects.

Technology is extremely apparent in Paik's work, where in comparison it is not as important in Ono's. Ono simply uses a woman, her clothing, and scizzors where Paik uses a lot of different technology to create other tech and artworks. Joesph uses technology as a focal point and background object for his performance.

From what I have seen of the performance art links and from my own personal observations on television, stage performances, street performances, etc, it is hard to say "what is to be done" with performance art. The more correct answer is "what HASN'T" been do. With sites such as youtube, vimeo, and vine, people are constantly performing or demonstrating something that could be considered a "performance art." It is decided by the viewer and audience if it is actually successful, or just obscure.