[uhn-weel-dee]

un·wield·y
1. not easy to handle: difficult to handle, carry or manage
because of being too heavy, large, or awkwardly shaped
2. difficult to manage: too complex or extensive to be
manageable
3. difficult to work or manipulate
4. lacking grace in movement or posture: ungainly; clumsy

wield
1. have and excersize something: to have and be able to use
something, especially power, authority or influence
2. use weapon or tool: to hold, handle or use a weapon or
tool with skill and ease

Again, I will begin with the question, what is a work

or a practice that is Unwieldy? Like Untidy it suggests
something ‘with parts where they shouldn’t be’ – something
that is awkwardly or strangely shaped, that appears to be
‘irregular’ and, in turn, it alludes to the difficulty caused by
its size, shape, weight, scale, duration or complexity. It also
suggests a certain ‘not straightforwardness’ - something
that must be ‘worked at’ or presents some kind of puzzle
as to how it will be processed, managed, handled or used.
However, unwieldy also calls to mind a number of subtly
distinct characteristics or qualities.
In relation to an artwork, Unwieldiness could signal
‘irregularity’ in terms of something that is physically too
big, too long or too bulky (lacking a desired compactness) –
an artwork that requires a set of conditions that differ from
the standard ‘white cube’ gallery space or hour-long, end-
on theatre show. It could refer to a reluctant submission on
the part of the artist to a subject matter, an activity, or a form
that is hard to physically or mentally ‘wield’ (make it do
what you want it to). It could describe the form of tasks that
make visible (or clear) their cumbersome, inconvenient
or burdensome nature. An artwork’s Unwieldiness may
present problems to how it fits into existing models
of dissemination (display, showing, documentation,
distribution, publishing, archiving) and systems of
exchange (commissioning, buying/selling transactions,
programming, reciprocal exchange). Unwieldiness could
also refer to something that is awkward to view – ‘a
form of too-much-to-see-or-take-in-at-one-go’ (Forced
Entertainment, 2004: 101)1, or an event of such duration
that demands more stamina than the viewer is willing to
invest, or something that is difficult to simply consume
passively.

Elsewhere in the text, I refer to the need for artists to

operate with proficiency, perceptiveness or competence –
finding ways to ‘manage’ situations rather than a desire to
‘master’ them. The verb to wield brings with it suggestions
of mastery, power and authority, while the prefix ‘un-
’ hints at a reversal or something that is contrary to this
position – something that is uncooperative or resistant to
this abstract notion that someone may have full control
or influence over a situation. I like the idea that Unwieldy
could signal a set of concerns, or mediums that are hard to
steer or hard to get to do what you want (like something
‘wild’). It brings to mind words and images of exertion
or labourious activity – something that requires us to
heave (move something using much effort), haul, drag, or
that needs to be commandeered. This suggestion of the
extra effort required in managing something that is hard
to handle - that is too large, heavy or awkward to wield
skilfully or with ease – again refers to both the form, and
the content, of the work.

Unwieldy also hints at a certain lack of agency – an inability

to successfully ‘wield’ – or an awkwardness in physically
manipulating something. This might manifest itself in a
clunkiness, clumsiness or ungainliness - something that
is lacking grace or virtuosic skill, in manner or movement
or performance, like an awkward dancer. In terms of live
artworks, Unwieldiness might refer to untrained bodies, or
deliberately unrehearsed delivery, or trying to make texts/
objects/situations ‘do things’ they are not necessarily
designed for. In this way, Unwieldiness might relate to
things that are disobedient, refusing to obey the rules or
wayward. It may also suggest a lack of fluency (and its
associations with not being able to find the right words,
not having ‘full command’ of the language, stumbling and
persevering) meaning that the effort (to communicate)
becomes visible, rather than seeming effortless.
 Unwieldy

1 ‘The form was, so often, one of fragments that needed a watcher

to link them, a thinking brain to join the dots. Or a form of too-
much-to-see-or-take-in-at-one-go, so that each person present
would inevitably have seen different things, heard different words.
And in the longer pieces we went further still. Here, the content
was not predetermined and the public themselves made decisions
about what and how to watch, about where to draw connecting
lines, about what might be a start, middle or end. We spoke very
often about the agency of those watching – of their importance
not in completing, but more fundamentally, in making the work.’
(Forced Entertainment, 2004: 101)

REFERENCES:
Forced Entertainment (2004) ‘Durational Performance’ in
Heathfield, Adrian (ed) (2004) Live: Art and Performance, London:
Tate Publishing