The main objective of this course is to prepare the participants to develop an idea into a live performance art piece. In the process, participants practice how to think critically about performance art and find their unique way of expression. In order to gain historical and disciplinary perspective, participants learn about precedents such as Futurism and DADA, the development of the scene in various parts of the world, leading artists such as Yoko Ono, Marina Abramovic, or Vito Acconci, as well as crucial festivals and exhibitions.

In addition, the course analyzes performance art in relationship to other performative disciplines like theatre, dance, or video art and address key forms such as body art and performative political works. Physical and mental exercise used in performance but also derived from yoga, trust exercises, and Zen Buddhism meditation techniques are taught. Participants are guided through a specific creative process the result of which is shared via livestream at the end of the course. 

Syllabus

“Jovanovic is truly an artist of the twenty-first century. She can no longer call one country home, after living in Europe, the Middle East and North America. Her practice moves effortlessly between performance, sculpture, video and installation. She is interested in the legacy of feminism, but she also has deep admiration for her male forbears. Are these contradictory stances? They should not be. For identity today is a shifting and transforming process, rather than a fixed state. We have learned from the achievements as well as the mistakes of earlier feminist thought—prescribing what is a liberated feminism from what is not is a futile process. What is more enlightening is to understand that the post-feminist condition allows for a personal quantification of identity, one that is not forced or assigned. This is what our feminist predecessors fought for so bitterly—for our generation to have freedom to make our own choices about our bodies, our art, our lives.” Dr. Kathy Battista – Marta Jovanovic: Performing the Self (2013)