Last modified: 01 Aug 2023 11:46
Performance art broke the mould of what it means to make and experience art. Often referred to as the Live Arts, this encompasses live readings, costume design and installation, from the spontaneous to the durational. Foregrounding body and audience, the course explores performance art in all its guises as a political arena. Attention is given to theoretical texts that have articulated performance practices and their critical aftermath, e.g. photography, archival footage and fiction.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Performance art occurred throughout the twentieth century in myriad guises. From the cabarets of Dada and the Ballet Russes to the DIY Happenings of Fluxus, performance art broke the mould of what it means to make and experience art.
Performance art is often political and controversial, whether as a feminist strategy or as a response to civil rights. Often aiming to push boundaries, the Live Arts utilise the artist’s own bodily matters (hair, tears and blood in the work of Carolee Schneemann and Ana Mendieta) as part of the medium.
As an affective mode, performance art can be durational and experimental, spontaneous and ephemeral, with photographs, archival footage and written reviews often the only historical evidence of its occurrence. This entails a precarious, archaeology to performance art, studied via eye-witness accounts.
With reference to feminist theory (Julia Kristeva and Hélène Cixous) and interspecies encounters (Donna Haraway), learning is underscored by texts that have shaped and articulated performance art. Fiction writing as a mode of reviving lost performances will be investigated. Opportunities to experience performance and archives are a non-compulsory element and will be partly subsidised.
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Possible field trip with part subsidy. Cost to students to be confirmed. | 0.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 6 | Feedback Weeks | 8 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback; in-person feedback on request |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Apply | Gain a broad understanding of the media and purpose of the live arts, including but not limited to the development of costume design, the use of bodily matter & modes of political provocation |
| Procedural | Analyse | Show a thorough understanding of feminist theories and their application to a range of primary performances |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Increase confidence in organising and delivering written and oral academic work on a defined concept and an essay |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 12 | Feedback Weeks | 13 | |
| Feedback |
Visual test will have determined questions. Written feedback and additional verbal with student as required |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Apply | Gain a broad understanding of the media and purpose of the live arts, including but not limited to the development of costume design, the use of bodily matter & modes of political provocation |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Increase confidence in organising and delivering written and oral academic work on a defined concept and an essay |
| Procedural | Understand | Build up knowledge of performances practices and their interpretation through their critical aftermath, whether through written reviews or archival footage |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Assessed on tasks throughout the semester. Written feedback after presentation; in-person feedback on request |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Apply | Gain a broad understanding of the media and purpose of the live arts, including but not limited to the development of costume design, the use of bodily matter & modes of political provocation |
| Procedural | Analyse | Show a thorough understanding of feminist theories and their application to a range of primary performances |
| Procedural | Understand | Build up knowledge of performances practices and their interpretation through their critical aftermath, whether through written reviews or archival footage |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 10 | Feedback Weeks | 13 | |
| Feedback |
Essay will have determined questions. Written feedback and additional verbal feedback with students as required.
|
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Analyse | Show a thorough understanding of feminist theories and their application to a range of primary performances |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Increase confidence in organising and delivering written and oral academic work on a defined concept and an essay |
| Procedural | Understand | Build up knowledge of performances practices and their interpretation through their critical aftermath, whether through written reviews or archival footage |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Written and oral feedback |
Word Count | 5000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Apply | Gain a broad understanding of the media and purpose of the live arts, including but not limited to the development of costume design, the use of bodily matter & modes of political provocation |
| Procedural | Understand | Build up knowledge of performances practices and their interpretation through their critical aftermath, whether through written reviews or archival footage |
| Procedural | Analyse | Show a thorough understanding of feminist theories and their application to a range of primary performances |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Increase confidence in organising and delivering written and oral academic work on a defined concept and an essay |
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