Endurance Performance

For my endurance performance, I chose to show how we appear when we perform the daily ritual of watching television. We essentially become a blank wall. I became a television facing a blank wall for three hours, virtually unmoving (except to change poses in the chair where I was sitting when I needed to).
It was extremely difficult for me to stay in the same spot for three hours even though I was able to shift a bit, especially with the cardboard television on my head. My sight was taken away from me (there were no holes in the TV) which I suppose doubled as facing a fear (I am very afraid of losing my sight!).
In comparison to actually watching TV, sitting in the chair doing absolutely nothing for that amount of time was certainly a task. When we watch TV, time seems to fly by as we have something to focus our brains on. During my performance I found my mind wandering, trying to think of stories and other useless things in order to make the time go by faster.

Critique

When looking at all of the final works for time I really enjoyed how the overall accomplishment with everyone. One that I really thought was entertaining was Phil Yannella's. This was interesting how he went about displaying himself. The cocoon setup he had was very entertaining and showed a lot of his planning. He had to find others to wrap him up which shows his careful planning and trust in others. With all the others doing something strenuous Phil showed something that not only took others but gave him a relaxing setup and a different view on the assignment. With all the passers watching and wondering what or who was inside the cocoon I could not help to think what most of the people thought about the paper that had blown off of his setup. One thing that is a big part of people thinking today is the environment and toilet paper flying from an art project into nature I think would be something people may not take lightly. After leaving Phil I wondered if he had enjoyed the task or if he was simply bored and/ aggravated with lying in a single position for the amount of time he did. The wind being Incorporated into the act was a nice variable and helped with the flow of the set. In all I think that he did his job well and the hammock and toilet paper were overall good decisions.

endurance performance

For my performance, I scrubbed a bus stop with a toothbrush for three hours. I did not allow myself to speak to or make eye contact with anyone during the piece. I also refused to move out of the way for anyone.

Throughout the time I was there, many people came through to wait for their buses. I could tell that I was making them uncomfortable. Many people wouldn't even come into the bus stop- they would just stand outside and stare. Some tried to speak to me and became frustrated when I wouldn't answer- some just laughed.

It was a very strange experience for me. There were times where I was so fixed on my task that I couldn't think of anything else. I would just scrub so furiously that I would scrape my knuckles on the pavement. Other times, my mind would wander and my scrubbing would slow down. The task was painful. My hands and feet became so cold that I couldn't feel them any longer and when I finally stood up it was difficult to walk. My knuckles and knees were scraped and bruised and my arm became very sore.

What I found to be the most interesting was the wear on my toothbrush. It was far more apparent than the physical and mental wear on my body.

When I was finished, the sun had dried the water and I could see that I did not make even the smallest impact on the bus stop. The floor was just as dirty as it had been. I however, was a mess. I was filthy, sore, cut up and both physically and mentally exhausted. Obviously the bus stop had more of an impact on me than I had had on it.

recording time

For my personal record of time, I kept a sort of time line for my shift at the Box Of Books library. I've noticed throughout the year that it's always the same people coming and going at the same times, so I recorded their library card numbers and how long they stayed in comparison to others.
I've noticed that I can know where I am in my shift without even looking at the clock now.

critical anaylisis

I decided to do a critical analysis of Lauren Carlie's performance as a marionette dangling from the tree outside Canon hall. she had herself strung up as it were by ropes attached to a iconic cross shaped controller, though she was controlled by the pulling of her ropes from below due to a simple eye hook system. dressed as a ballerina she was the picturesque icon of a puppet. giving the viewer and the user the ability to control her legs and arms she did not resist any of the abuses she was shown. I truly must applaud Lauren for this as she did not break character for anyone even though it was cold, early, and some of the people who interacted were less than polite. she placed a small chair near her performance site in order to give the viewer the idea that maybe she was getting ready to take a break from all this hanging around any time. that she was completely incapable of this wasn't even a concern the simple placement of the chair gave the impression that it could indeed happen. over all Id like to say that Laurens piece was a magnificent performance, and showed that she could indeed endure some troubling and uncomfortable situations.

Final Endurance Piece

I chose to do a critical analysis on Holly Pasquarellas endurance piece. For her piece she meditated on the hill outside of Reimer while being blindfolded. For this, she would be surrendering herself in public without her vision. She had to rely on her other senses like smell and mostly sound to get an idea of what was going on around her. I think she chose something that is interesting and something everyone should try.

After seeing her do this, I have been paying more attention too my surroundings and sounds alike. One thing I would change about her piece was fabric coordination. She was laying on a striped beach towel while wearing a black and white bandana, it just didn't look pieced together. It seemed her concept was the main focus which is good because you do not need to have fancy things for this project, just trust in your surroundings.

Final Performance-Blind

For my final performance, I sat blindfolded for three hours. I painted 3 paintings in this time the way I normally paint when I am at home- with my hands.

Now, one may think that this is an easy task and can be done regularly. But to be blind is extremely difficult. Not only did I have to place the paints in a strategic order, but I also had to remember that order, as well as keep them in that order by counting, feeling, hoping, and memorization. Now this is a fear for me, due to the fact that I already have bad eyesight. Without my glasses don't expect me to see who you are until your up close. As i get older I notice my eyesight getting worse and worse and I always say that it would be my luck to wind up blind in 30 years or something. This negative thought got me thinking. As an artist, what would it be like for me to create? How hard would it be? What would they look like? So this performance in which I faced my fear was a perfect time for me to figure this out. My method of working was to keep finding the edges of the paper and to feel around to where I had already applied the paint. It was also based on A LOT of memory as to what color I just put down and what shape I made with it. It would up being a challenge, but in the end I was so grateful that I was able to take that blindfold off.