1

The relationship between Endurance Performance art its Documentation: from photographing a performance, to performing a photograph.

Since the early 1900s performance art had been practiced in movements such as the futurists1, surrealists2 and Dadaism3, but it wasnt until the late 1960s that body art became an excepted medium for expression. The artists body had previously explored time, movement and tangibility but it was a few pioneering artists that would investigate the potential of the body physically and psychologically. During the 1970s conceptual art, which prioritized ideas over products; ideas not conceived to be bought or sold; was favored by artists everywhere. This was due to political and economic upheaval; social and cultural life was unsettled across America and Europe and artists began to respond in a phenomenal way. Performance art which tested the limits of the artists mind and body through endurance became ever more common and is still prominent today. The sensory effects the performance had on its primary audience was often the line of investigation of the performer and it is the how they accomplished these effects that made the work so powerful.

Audiences witnessed incredibly shocking, poignant and dangerous works, a famous example of which would be Chris Burdens Shoot (1971)4; the effects of which still haunt our history books, yet for aspiring artists and audiences today the only way for them to view these extraordinary works are through their documentation which, in the 1970s, was predominantly photographs and burdened with a stigma of being of lesser value that the live event.

There has been constant debate about the purpose and merit of performance documentation. It was seemingly more common for artists in the 70s to perform
1

Futurism was an artistic and social movement which originated in Italy in the early 20th Century which glorified concepts of the future including technology, speed and violence. 2 Surrealist movement began in the 1920s and artists expressed the coinciding philosophical movement. 3 Dadaism was a movement which peaked around 1916 in Zurich and was demonstrative of anti war politics and scrutinized the materiality of art. 4 Burden asked a man to shoot him with a rifle, there was no intervention and the man agreed to do so; thus Shoot 1971, was performed.

2 without an audience, or for an unwilling one, and the documentation (if any) was often unplanned by artists such as Marina Abramovic, whos work has spanned over 40 years.

In 2012, there is a generation of artists and audiences who understand not only the historical context of endurance performance art, but also the immediate sensory and often visceral effects of this medium. The live events can draw huge audiences- that may attend for artistic, fetishistic, or political reasons; either way performance venues are often filled with audiences willing to participate. The same generation of artists is adopting the most recent of technologies. Cheaper, more efficient, and better quality digital cameras and editing facilities are at their fingertips which they utilize in the development of their documentation.

In her book Contract With the Skin (1998) Kathy ODell writes about the contract between the artist and audience formed once they push their bodies to such extreme physical and psychological limits(ODell, 1998 p.2). Performance artists in the 1970s called to attention the structure of the contract to emphasize that the real power of the agreement lies in [the] control of others. By pushing their actions to extremes they dramatized the importance of a transaction that is often overlooked or perhaps not even acknowledged.(Ibid p.2) Beyond its legal function, the contract was an often unwritten5, abstract agreement that meant that the artist could perform freely, and instruct their audience with little resistance, as well as highlighting the ethics of participating in endurance performance. Audience members assumed their role as participant; and whatever the consequences of their actions, they would not be held responsible. These actions even those which were absurd or even dangerous, had protection by contract- contracts particularly suit works that are created and disseminated as instructions for performance contractscan ensure that the artists instructions and conditions for performing the work are adhered to(Lydiate, H & McClean, D 2011 p.42).

I want to explore how a few performances initiate and to a certain extent exploit the
5

However Gina Pane charged people on entry to view her performance Nourriture, actualits tlvises feu (1971). The exchange of money highlighted their acknowledgment of the contractthey paid to see something, to participate.

3 contract between artist and audience, and whether the documentation can suffice to illustrate this; focusing particularly on artists who experiment with endurance performance- a term I will use for this essay in order to single out body art which specifically tests physical or mental endurance.

Franko B is a world-renowned endurance artist famous for blood letting. His work is about love, politics and more recently war atrocities similarly to the artists in the 70s, however the work neither prescribes nor invites pain. His performances, paintings and stitching are sometimes controversial in their subjects; yet his work sells for large amounts. So, if not for monetary reasons, why does Franko have such extraordinarily elaborate photographic documentation of his work by Manuel Vason; and how does Franko use the contract between himself and his informed audience to further enhance his performances and the effects they achieve?

I also want to identify how contemporary endurance performers are embracing the forms of documentation as part of their practice; by utilizing the act of documentation as a performance itself, whether this is successful, and the effect this will have on the purpose of photographic documentation. I hope to analyze how documentation informs our understanding of the live performance and/or the contract explored by the artist and to identify what new purpose and value the photographic document may carry.

Documenting the Performance

It is evident that many endurance performance artists use the idea of the contract that ODell describes to objectify themselves and to explore the limits of themselves as performers and the limits of their audience. Marina Abramovic has performed since the 1970s exploring the contract from political and ethical motivation. Many of her performances deal with limitations of the body, a clear expression of her influences

4 from the Fluxus6 movement in New York, which emphasized artist- centered practice. In Rhythm 0 (1974), (see fig.1) she invited audience members to objectify her and the audience participation shows an acceptance of the contract. She chose 72 objects, including knives, feathers, lipstick and most dramatically a gun, with a single bullet. All the objects were real, all effects would be real too. She was sliced with a knife, and scratched with a rose thorn, but the piece came to climax when the gun was held to her head. Hypothetically if the gun had of been a fake there would not have been a need for an intervention and perhaps the gun would have been fired. This would have been disastrous, as it would have shown that although Abramovic wanted to examine the limitations of her audience, she was not prepared to endure the same test. It was by exploiting the contract she had created with herself and her participating live audience that she was able to illuminate their moral choices, and the community they were in- a community that chose to inflict pain when in fact there was always a positive and pleasurable alternative.

More recently TV Psychologist Derren Brown performed The Experiments (2011), in which he created a similar faceless audience and provided them with an opportunity to engage in decision-making that would influence a strangers life. For every possible positive, there was an alternative negative experience, and throughout the program the majority of the audience chose the negative choices, which became progressively more cruel; from being charged for an unordered drink, to being arrested and finally being kidnapped. Only when Brown created a staged consequence of these decisions; namely being run over when running away from his kidnappers; did the participating audience feel any guilt or responsibility for their choices.

After the performance, the audience acknowledged the contract and their own participation. Jaques Rancires The Emancipated Spectator(2009) describes how the audiences should no longer observe but instead participate in art; what is required is a theatre without spectators, where those in attendance learn from, as opposed to being seduced by images, where they become active participants as opposed to passive voyeurs (Rancire, J.2009. p.4). By eliminating the spectator- the viewer of a photograph- and by introducing the participant in the performance their
6

Fluxus movement began in the 1960s striving to blend disciplines of art, literature, architecture and music together.

5 observations and actions are implicated. When artists experiment with pain or mutilation a voyeur of a photograph can understand these events and feel some sort of effect, however a participant should be morally obliged to protect the artist and instead; due to the contract they are able to act without repercussions. Tracey Warr also holds this opinion in her essay Image as Icon7 she says that,

we might still have a gut reaction to a photograph, but we cant intervene. We dont have to respond publicly. In live performances people shouted dont do it to Pane as she raised a razor to her face8[or] rescued Abramovic when she passed out9... that responsibility for others actions, what Kathy ODell sees as a complicity and a contract between viewer and performer, is absent for the viewer of a document... (Grunenberg,C 2003 pp33-35).

From viewing the documentation for both Brown and Abramovics experiments I felt the audience had lost all morality and I judged them harshly for it. This illustrates the idea of a community under contract, as I cannot predict or assume that I would have had a different response if I had given the same contract to act under. Although the photograph of Rhythm O and the documentary The Experiments were both convincing of the actions that took place, I am unable to feel the same horror and contemplation, or the feeling of power and responsibility that the live participants felt. But perhaps the strength of this documentation lies not in describing the contract but instead by provoking moral judgment; as the events are explained spectators might feel shock and horror towards the actions of the participants.

Performance artists in the 70s also set to liberate themselves from oppression as well as to illuminate the contract. In a recent interview with Iwona Blazwitc (2011), Abramovic explains her use of pain,

Chapter from Grunenberg, C, 2003 Art, Lies and Videotape: exposing performance. London: Tate Gina Pane in Le Lait Chaud performed in 1972. 9 Marina Abramovic s performance The Artist is Present performed at MoMA in New York in 2010.

6 We are afraid of pain, of dying, of suffering- the main concerns of human beings... Many artists deal with this subject I was always interested in the ritualization of inflicting a large amount of pain the reason for this is not to do with masochismto confront pain by taking this kind of risk in order to liberate yourself from fear. (Abramovic to Blazwitc, 2011 p.3)

It is common amongst artists today to explore the same space between life and death, how free we are to use our bodies, and the purpose of the contract. Franko B uses equipment from blood banks although many people say that it is extreme and masochistic. Instead of the blood being donated it is performed with, and once hydrated Frankos body will replace the blood lost. The endurance is not therefore the pain, but instead the exhaustion of losing a dangerous amount of blood, and according to Rancire a participant in the contract understands the instructions of the artist, which in the case of I Miss You (see fig. 2) are to observe the activity like that of a catwalk.

Franko promenades a long strip, heavily lit with spotlights, stained with his own blood dripping from his arms. His feet can be heard sticking to the catwalk, and as the action is repeated relentlessly a compassion and understanding for the sensitivity and vulnerability of the artist is illuminated. As he reaches a point of exhaustion Franko seems to pivot around the most profound tension of all; that between absence and presence, life and death [similarly to Abramovic]where do I find my boundaries? Where is the border of my body/ my consciousness, and where is the limit of yours? (Jones, A. 2011). It is by exploiting the contract that exists between himself and his audience that Franko successfully overrides the self consciousness and the inhibitions that settle on us in places like galleries, it comes as a shock, finding ourselves laughing, crying, disgusted, aroused and outragedoverwhelmed with actual emotion(Doyle, J. 2011) Critic Jennifer Doyle stated that on entering the piece she expected to be anxious and repulsed after only viewing documentation of Frankos performances, however when witnessing the event live she understood the intimacy of the piece, [and] Franko seemed honest, vulnerable(ibid). She claimed that there was emotion and persistence of both performer and audience that cannot be understood by watching a documentation of this piece for two reasons; the first is that common documentation manifests as either a single photograph or in a

7 short film which only a show a glimpse of the experience. The second reason is that I Miss You is a time- based endurance (which is obvious when witnessing the physical deterioration of the artist) for which the responsibility to stop it lies in the hands of those able to do so. Franko continued for a long time, yet even the traces of blood lining the stage did not stir the audience, who were held a state of panic and empathy but nevertheless bound by the contract. Without a posteriori proof10 both ODell and Warr hold the skepticism that the document of performance cannot ever have the same merit as viewing the performance live, when exploring the power that the contract holds over the audience once they are a willing participant. Viewing the photographs taken during these performances I am not entering into the same contract as the live audience and I am not convinced it can be successfully explored.

The document therefore acts as a record of the contract, it shows that there were willing participants and proves that the event took place. The shock and judgment of the viewer of the photograph is not necessarily of the image itself- which may or may not be interpreted as masochistic- but instead of the contract that enabled pleasure to be derived from someone elses suffering. I believe the photograph actually acts as a microcosm for the live event and to explain this I will use the example of Abramovics Rhythm 0- of which the document is a black and white analogue 35mm still with a gritty aesthetic11 mirroring the nature of the performance. The live audience entered the contract willingly or unwillingly, the viewer of the photograph has observed the image willingly or unwillingly. The live audience choose to react, while the viewer of the photograph chooses to continue looking, or to stop. Assuming the viewer of the photograph continues to observe it, they must then decide what compels them to have a lingering gaze. To participate in the contract as a live audience member or to continue viewing the photograph may suggest the same perversions, if as Freud believes the most common and significant of all perversions the desire to inflict painand its reversefor active and passive forms, (Freud, S 2001 p.157) then the desire to observe this must be great also. No one does something
10

11

A posteriori- knowledge which is dependent on experience or empirical evidence. This gritty aesthetic was created using 400 ISO film which has very large grains which produce high contrast, but show the grains within the film.

8 disgusting willingly, so the desire to perform something bad or to witness something bad comes from some degree of pleasure. Abramovics audience inflicted pain on her because they found some pleasure in doing so, the observer of the photograph may continue to observe it because they find some pleasure in the subject. Susan Sontag summarizes just this,

Nobody ever discovered ugliness through photography, but many, through photographs, have discovered beautyNo one exclaims, Isnt that ugly, I must take a photo of it. Even if they did say that, all it would mean is, I find that ugly thing beautiful. (Sontag, S. 1979.p.85 )

Of course I must consider that there are other reasons to view a photograph extensively; as it is a very different sensory experience than that of the performance it represents. Smell, touch, movement and duration are all sensations absent from the photograph, which would enhance our experience so it may be that the viewer seeks to understand the context and situation of the performance better. Video can inform us more than a photograph; sounds, duration and emotion of the audience; however it is with many components of the performance that we are able to understand the work fully. It is by reading accounts from the audience, viewing other works by the artist or artists that work within the same genre that we are educated, which is the idea of intertextuality introduced first by Julia Kristeva in the 1960s. This theory might suggest that it is possible to determine the purpose and success of a performance using a priori12 knowledge which of course the documentation- whether photographic or video- is essential for.

Nietzsche stated that art is successful when it has an effect on the audience; and that illusion (the photograph) could stimulate this as easily as a true act (the live event) when interpreted by the audience. Thus when one considersthe value of [truth] and, on the other hand, a beautiful illusion which has exactly the same value as an item of [truth] (Nietzsche, F. 1967 ch.2) they achieve the same, and the effects of the action, viewed live or through its documentation is a means to the same end, and so illusion is sufficient for thisby means of its effects (Pothen, P.2002 p.35).

12

A Priori- knowledge or justification independent of experience

9 So if the contract, participation and duration can be imitated by the photograph, I believe the document of the endurance performance could have the same effects as the live event. If the viewer of a photograph feels the same strength of effect that the contract produces then the documentation acts as far more than a mere record and instead captures the essence and intention of the endurance performance itself. This said, the document may imitate the effects of the live event, but it cannot hope to produce them alone.

Further Use for the Document

Unlike the ephemeral and fleeting existence of the live event, the document exists and continues to be observed long after the performance has ended. As well as acting as a record for the event, and as an engaging imitation of effects for a secondary audience, it would seem it serves another purpose for the artists who prescribe it.

Lacking some of the sensory and visceral effects, the anticipation of the wait, the initial contract, and possibly the initial context of the original piece; I might never understand the performances in the 1970s and their intended effects. Many of these artists do not perform any longer and even witnessing re-performances would be different. The only way for me to understand and appreciate these pieces is through their original documentation. Rhythm 0 would have completely different effects if re-performed. I know that the gun is loaded, I know that Abramovic wouldnt respond, I know that certain actions would be prohibited, and I also know that the work is as much a portrait of the moral integrity of the audience, as it is an example of the psychological limitations of the artist; therefore might I be less inclined to hurt her. Therefore I hold the opinion that endurance performance that has been documented will be less successful if performed again, unless the intention of the artist changes. And so by re-performing work artists have been able to exploit the contract they have with their audience through its prior documentation.

Yoko Ono re-performed Cut Piece, after audiences had seen its documentation from the original, performed first in 1964 at the Sogetsu Art Center in Tokyo (see fig.3).

10 After she walked onto the stage and knelt down, audience members were requested to cut away pieces of her clothing until she was naked. Unaware of her reactions to their participation they remained apprehensive about removing the fabric as they couldnt have known whether she would remain motionless. She was in fact completely still for an hour, objectifying herself much in the same way as Abramovic does in Rhythm 0; acting as a mirror for the audience to reflect on their actions and remind[ing] viewers of their own roles as witnesses and of their own capacity to occupy the position of either perpetrator (subject) or victim (object) of violence(ODell 1998 p5). Cut piece was performed again in 1966 and although the audience was different they knew that Ono would remain motionless. Therefore I see its success diminished as the piece attempted to reveal caution in the participants. Instead, in London the audience cut the clothing aggressively and fought for fabric as a souvenir. To claim this piece portrays true caution would only be fair in regards to the first performance. I would however claim that the work is a true representation of very different behaviour, that instead of showing caution it shows competitiveness and aggression and reminds the audience that Ono is a human subject. Through its original documentation Ono was able to further exploit the contract with her audience.

In his paper, The illusion of the Audience video artist Matthew Stock describes that both artist and audience must strive to understand the role of the other and that there is transference of knowledge between them. It is the gap of knowledge between them that makes the work so compelling. He writes, the spectator, who is able to appropriate this position with prior learning and build up his own translation, is also able to interpret this knowledge (Stock, M. 2009) so when we view work, we approach it with our own knowledge acquired previously and interpret it thus, in much the same way as Julia Kristeva describes in her theory of intertextuality. In the case of Cut Piece Ono understood this principle, her audience had acquired knowledge through its previous documentation and would approach it with this understanding, however Ono created a new space between herself and the audience; her intention had changed as she knew the response of her audience would, and thus there was more for her second audience to reflect on. Stock also uses the principles of Rancire to articulate that the artist should always be a step ahead of his audience, the knowledge that the artist possesses is something that the audience strives to understand.

11

I shall continue by discussing the work of Franko B as I have argued the benefits of viewing his performances live due to the nature of the initial contract; and although I do retain these opinions I believe that by embracing and utilizing documentation he is able to further manipulate his audience in an equally effective way. Franko stated in an interview that he was excited about the first performance of Dont Leave Me This Way (see fig.4)- an 11 minute endurance piece first performed in 2006 that,

[he] invited many critics and fans of [his] work; some had seen [his] live work and they understand the sensitive issues [he] deals with, but [he] knew others would come because they had seen photos or films with blood, more blood, and they [would] think[he is] a masochist. When they arrived [he] showed them that it was not [him] who wanted to feel pain, but them (Franko B to Hunt 2011).

Dont Leave Me This Way actually marked the end of the blood letting phase but the unknowing audience were nervous, curious, waiting in anticipation and possibly bracing themselves for a very sensory and visceral response.

Collaborating with Kamal Ackerie- a lighting designer- Franko B sat on a chair while 5 powerful spotlights flickered and flooded the stage. They were painfully bright and the audience had to squint to recognize the artist. The image burned into their retinas (safely of course) as they searched for Frankos body for blood or wounds which ironically resulted in many of them having streams of tears. Instead they found his gentle body shape and the scars from his previous works; performances the audience expected him to reproduce. There is real sensitivity when viewing a scar as pain is universally familiar. This piece is very beautiful and illustrates how Franko was able to use the previous documentations of his performances13 to illuminate the expectation of a viewing community- all of whom gathered to witness something shocking and visceral, which of course they did. Franko explained that it was only through photographs that this work was so successful; those who had seen his live performances before knew it wasnt about the blood; instead it was about the
13

Many of which were taken by Hugo Glendinning a photographer of performance artists, but not necessarily endurance specific.

12 experience and physical endurance of viewing. The dramatic lights and stages positioning of would be renascent of his blood letting, and when it wasnt the voyeur must question their experience and perhaps the masochistic implications of their disappointment. This effect of contemplation would not have been possible without prior documentation throughout his body of work.

I believe that endurance performance artists are beginning to explore the common notion that a secondary audience view documentation as a factual record, rather than portraying the contract and are able to use it to their advantage. The stigma that proceeds the document is becoming the artists strongest weapon; it is enabling them to continue surprising their live audiences, to exceed their expectations of the effects the contract can produce.

Documentation as Art

In her essay The Ontology of Performance Peggy Phelan writes, the document of a performance is only to spur a memory, an encouragement of memory to become present (Phelan, P 1993 p.146), yet philosopher, and psycho-analysist Sigmund Freud once wrote memory does not have to replace sensory experience (http://www.manuelvason.com/)14. So if performance only exists in the present, and cannot be saved or recorded it would seem that the documentation of endurance performance should approach as closely as possible, the position of performance itself- a memory with its own sensory effects.

Franko Bs performances invite numerous photographers for publicity purposes. These documents are accompanied by descriptions explaining the actions of the artist as well as trying to explain a primary personal/ emotive response. These documents are spread worldwide and reach those unable to view the work live. Unfortunately performances are only repeated a certain number of times and performancecontinues to exist only through an accumulation of documentation and
14

Sigmund Freud. [Internet] Available from :< www.manuelvason.com > [accessed 6th December 2011]

13 discourse (Goldberg, R 2001 p.31) and these documents do serve the purpose of spurring a memory of a sensory experience.

However Franko B is producing something else, a different category, which manifests in his collaborations with Italian photographer Manuel Vason which aim to make memory a sensory experience rather than resembling newsworthy images which turn traumatic events into [mere] stories (Taylor, J 1998 p.1).

Vason has a background in fashion photography and his work has a glamorized aesthetic, even though most of works are quite dark in their content. He photographs many contemporary endurance performance artists all of whom explore the possibilities the body holds for powerful and dynamic expression. In our interview Vason told me that he want[s] to bridge the gap between photography and performance, between still images and movementtwo friends that are forced to work separately (Vason to Hunt 2011). In an essay15, E.M.Gombrich outlined the difficulties when trying to articulate and communicate movement within a still image. He used the example of a painter trying to capture lightening striking the ground; the painter moves his arm frantically, but he cannot quite capture the essence of what happened. Vason embraces this challenge head on but instead of recording a performance he would rather present it (Vason to Hunt, 2011). So how does he present live performance with a still image, and does he do it successfully?

Peggy Phelan has written extensively about the photographs relationship to performance and she argues that in fact they share many of the same attributes. Photography should not be discarded in favour of the live performance but instead recognized as part of the performance. She states that photography has a superior capacity to record the mimetic details of the real (Phelan, P 1993, p.50), in the exact moment that the photograph was taken it captures exactly what lay in front of the lens, and the gaze of the voyeur. If there is movement in front of the lens, the photograph is able to capture it. 'Flash & drag' is a term used in photography which

15

Standards of Truth: The Arrested Image and the Moving Eye by E.M Gombrich 1980.

14 describes an electronic flash exposure that freezes a fast action (see fig.5), i.e. it can be triggered at the beginning, somewhere in the middle, or at the end of a longer time exposure; the longer exposure used to show an extended movement across the frame, thus creating a 'brush stroke' of light describing the trajectory of the moving object (Potter to Hunt 2011). This means that a long action can be captured due to a long shutter speed, but the flash captures a large amount of information in one momentary point. The shutter speed thus reflects the duration of the performance, and the flash reflects the act of documentation itself.

Phelan tackles the liveness of the photograph implying that there is a dialogue between the performance and the photograph. If you consider that performance art exists, and ceases to exist we must accept that both offer significant meditations on disappearance, trauma and death [although from opposing directions] (Phelan, P 1993p.51) She explains that whilst a performance enacts the fragile nature of each ephemeral action and frames it in a time based structure, photographys ubiquity and tendency for reproduction means that in fact there is less of an urgency or drive to be there for the present tense. Phelans theory means that the movements of the photograph once produced actually continue the performance as they are circulated, distributed, observed and re-observed approaching the condition of performance itself.

Although Vasons images are usually staged for the camera, I do not think this necessarily compromises their effect as it erases self conscious glances [towards a photographer who may]discomfort the audience (Briers, D 1986 p.43) which were more common in the analogue documents of the 1970s. By employing a term used by Roland Barthes 16(1982), I hope to describe what it is about Vasons photographs that affect the viewer. Barthes describes the punctum which is an aspect of an image which pierces the viewer; a certain area or subject which assumes a fetishistic role. This punctum is something which the voyeur is attracted to- perhaps even unaware of, it might explain the perverse lingering gaze which Freud described. I believe that Vason is closing the gap between the act of viewing a live event and viewing the document.

16

Roland Barthes. 1982, Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. London: Hill and Wang

15

Artistic choices are being made for not only the performances themselves but now also for their documentation and display. Manuel Vason also photographed David Rickards 24 hour performance Exhaust where Rickard sat for 24 hours, resisting the urge to eat or to speak (see fig.6). During this performance every exhaled breath was contained in huge aluminum balloons, attached together to create a sculpture. Rickard had performed this piece publicly twice and although there was documentation of both of these performances, it was primarily used to illustrate the work and his ideas for use on his website portfolio. It wasnt until last year that Rickard considered displaying the documentation of Exhaust in a gallery.

After working with Rickard for a year I had always admired his sculptural work, which predominantly illustrates scientific theories, and Exhaust has always interested me- demonstrating vulnerability and endurance. After seeing this performance live, leaving and returning to find more balloons and a more disheveled Rickard I understood the physical and mental toil the piece played on him, as well as admiring the spectacular structure created. I wondered how Vason would capture this information within a single photograph.

On this occasion Rickard performed to no audience, but insisted on performing the entire work authentically for its true duration (Rickard to Hunt 2011). Rickards intentions were sincere; and the documentation was not in fact staged as it had been with Franko B. It would therefore seem to be merely a document of a live event. However, Vason composed multiple shots framed by the air tunnel used to test plane exhausts which illustrates the scale of the growing sculpture. Rickards sole presence in the photographs identifies the loneliness of his task as well as emphasizing the title and the physical scale of Exhaust. Vason captured its hourly duration by mimicking the experience of viewing the work. He took a photograph after every balloon was filled, showing first Rickard beginning his performance and finally the sculpture in its entirety (see fig.7). They create a huge grid and were displayed at Sumarria Lunn Gallery, in Mayfair, June last year in Rickards solo show, Time and Trace. Vishal Sumarria, one of the galleries directors explained their reasons for involving Vasons photographs, exhaust is one of Davids rarely seen pieces, and even the resulting sculptures are destroyed. The other work displayed in the gallery illustrates some sort

16 of performance in its creation and shows the fragility of the materials, yet Exhaust shows the opposite, the strength of the materials and the fragility of the artist. Summaria added, it is exciting for us to have one of Manuel Vasons photographs; they are very beautiful and dramatic(Sumarria to Hunt, 2011) evidently holding artistic merit of their own.

Writer and artist Dominic Johnson claims that Vasons world-wide success encourages a new audience to the galleries (Johnson to Hunt, 2011), one unembarrassed to see representations of the destruction of others, safeguarded by the practice and disguise of scholarship(Taylor, J 1998 p.14). Perhaps this audience would never have witnessed a piece of endurance performance live but feel able to observe the document more comfortably in a more familiar viewing manner. But although the work of Manuel Vason is powerful and arguably sensory and effective in capturing the essence of a performance, it is an illustration, albeit an elaborate and successful document, of a live event gone before it.

Tehching Hsieh explores the endurance of time, he creates one year long performances, including living outside and living in a cage. But the most interesting piece of documentation is from Time Clock performed from 1980-81 (see fig.8). He punched in a time clock every single hour for an entire year. Set up to record the work was a 35mm camera, that took one single frame each time he clocked in. Over the year, this created just 6 minutes of footage.17 The still photographic documentation created a film which illustrates a year of performing; an endurance which consisted primarily of its own documentation. In these 6 minutes we see time flitter in front of our eyes as his hair and beard grow. In the same way as Vason tried to capture the essence of time through flash and drag, so too does the film however the movement is that of the film itself and his hair growing. This piece of work is a fascinating blend between photography, performance and film, each aspects being fundamental and intrinsic to the pieces commentary on time.

American born Laurel Nakadate is different however, and represents a new generation of endurance performance artists who are familiar with communicative technology.

17

Time Clock was shown in an exhibition in the Guggenheim Museum in 2009.

17 365 Days- A catalogue of tears 2011 is a series of photographs (see fig. 9). Each day for a year Nakadate forced herself to feel physical or mental pain or sadness; this endurance was performed in order to photograph herself crying each day in response to social networking sites like Facebook, where users concoct an image of themselves based on the photos they choose to show. These photos are predominantly of themselves smiling when in fact an accurate portrait would include embarrassing faces, sadness, times of stress or humiliation. This private performance is about constant documentation done not for a primary audience but for one who views the photographs. Nakadates endurance is forcing herself to cry and having to record that action relentlessly. As the work continued her frustration evoked sadness, rather than constantly spurring sad memories or inflicting pain upon herself. The photographic documentation not only approached but reached the condition of performance itself for without it, the concept and endurance would have been irrelevant.

Perhaps now there will be performances that are only possible through their documentation. The participant would also have to be the spectator. I believe that the document has changed from the nature of a relic to part of a practice, which incorporatesperformance within it (Maud-Roxby, 2007 p.6). As Laurel Nakadate chooses to represent Facebook, social networking sites such as Twitter, Skype and live video streaming could enable performances to be documented and viewed live18. Although the smell, and touch would be absent, fear and anxiety of the unknown consequences would still apply. Opposing Tracy Warrs opinion I believe the opportunity for an intervention; although not possible physically; could be done via live feeds of text or audio; as well as provoking a gut reaction (Grunenberg,C 2003 p35) This would only be applicable to the viewer of the document who would thus become the participant. The contract would provide safety for the conscience and performances could reach exciting and perhaps even more dangerous levels, due to an anonymous and perhaps untraceable audience.

18

As it is now becoming more common for artists to employ the use of social networking sites for the purpose of performance; emerging artist Max Dovey uses Twitter in order to perform with live feeds in his Twitter Theatre first performed in 2011.

18

Conclusion

The relationship between endurance performance art and the photograph that documents it has, and will continue to be subject for debate. I began my investigation by looking at why the contract was capable of provoking emotion and considered contemplation, and particularly how endurance art accomplished this. I believe that although the photographic document can imitate these effects successfully it cannot produce them in isolation of intertextuality. I dont think a single photograph is able to produce enough information to inform us of the contract and its ramifications. Through my research it would seem that the contract can be explored and represented in photographs which can then have the same strength of effect as the real performance, however they cannot do it alone. I believe that performance art today has the power to question the privileged status of the live presence (Maud-Roxby, A. 2007 p.77) but in my opinion it cannot replace it; the document still acts as an illustration of a live event.

I continued by identifying how many artists have then used their own prior documentation to surprise new audiences with great effect. The artist uses Rancieres principles on spectatorship to assume that the spectator, who is able to appropriate this [new experience] with prior learning (Stock, M 2009). Audiences who have viewed photographic documentation assume that the intentions and concerns of the artist will always remain the same, but in keeping with the artistic movements of the 70s, performances are ephemeral and are therefore constantly developing. As the performance is captured by means of documentation, the documentation is being used to aid performances.

As the action of documentation approaches the condition of art perhaps there is no longer a need to record events as they unfold; for some contemporary endurance artists the merit of the document seemingly lies in its own artistic value. As artists have begun to investigate these transitions of the document as it has changed from the nature of a relic (where one action took place) to part of a practice, which

19 incorporates representation of performance within it (Maud-Roxby, 2007 p.6), the relationship between photograph and performance is ever evolving.

It is not enough for documentation to show something shocking or masochistic anymore even if it appeals to the voyeur. Audiences have become passive towards images of horror due to gruesome media imagery, so instead the image must have artistic merit itself. I believe the documentation, as a mere record, will not suffice any longer and may be considered inadequate. Audiences have come to expect documentation to be presented as art that has a sensory effect of its own.

As the photographic document becomes an integral part of endurance performance I wonder whether its negative stigma will be erased. Participation in endurance performance could now rely on the documentation; like the work of Laurel Nakadate and perhaps future use of live documentation. I have no doubt that their relationship will continue, but perhaps due to a generation of artists using new communicative methods the possibilities for exploring the limits of the contract in endurance performance may prove to be the most difficult endurances so far; for both artist and audience.

20

Illustrations

Figure 1.

Marina Abramovic, Rhythm 0, 1964. Photograph of performance (Unknown photographer) See bibliography

21

Figure 2.

Manuel Vason, Collaboration with Franko B I Miss You , 2005. Photographic collaboration with performance artist Franko B.

See Bibliography

22

Figure 3.

Yoko Ono, Cut Piece, 1964. Photographic Documentation by Unknown photographer.

See Bibliography

23

Figure 4.

Franko B, Don t Leave Me This Way, 2006. Photographic Documentation by unknown photographer.

See Bibliography

24

Figure 5.

An example of Vason s use of Flash and Drag. Manuel Vason. Exposures, 2002. Photographic Documentation of Aaron Williamson s performance.

See Bibliography

25

Figure 6.

Manuel Vason, Exhaust, 2011. Photographic Documentation of Collaboration with David Rickard.

26 See Bibliography

Figure 7.

Manuel Vason, Exhaust, 2011. Photographic Documentation of David Rickard s performance.

See Bibliography

27

Figure 8.

Tehching Hsieh, One Year Performance, 1980-81. Still taken from 35mm film. See Bibliography

28

Figure 9.

Laurel Nakadate, 365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears, 2011. Photographic Documentation of Install at MoMA: PS1, New York.

See Bibliography

29

Bibliography
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31

Schneider, R, 2001. The explicit Body in Performance London: Routledge Sontag, S. 1979. On Photography London: Penguin Tagg, J. 1988. The Burden of Representation. China. University of Minnesota press. Taylor, J 1998. Body Horror: Photojournalism, Catastrophe and War. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Vergine, L.2000. Body art and Performance: The body as language Milan: Skira Editor Watson, G & Wilson, S. 2001 Franko B: Oh Lover Boy London: Black Dog Publishing

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32

Jones, A. 2011. Corporeal Malediction: Franko Bs Body Art and the trace of Whiteness [Internet] Available from :<www.franko-b.com/text5.htm > [accessed 5th June 2011] Massumi, B. 1987. REALER THAN REAL: The Simulacrum According to Deleuze and Guattari [Internet] Available from :< http://www.opa-a2a.org/dissensus/wpcontent/uploads/2008/04/massumi_brian_realer_than_real.pdf> [accessed 27th October 2011] Morgan, E. 2011. Dancing with Strangers: The Disturbing Videos of Laurel Nakadate [Internet] Available from :< http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/oct/09/laurel-nakadate-videoperformance-artist> [accessed 9th October 2011] OHagan, S. 2010. Marina Abramovic: Interview [Internet] Available from :< http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/oct/03/interview-marina-abramovicperformance-artist> [accessed 2nd March 2011] Schneider, R. 2007 Cut, Click, Shudder, The Document Performance [Internet] Available from :< http://www.artcollaboration.co.uk/Essays/VASON%20Schneider%20FINAL.pdf> [accessed on 15th October 2011] Sparknotes 2011 The Birth of Tragedy [Internet] Available from :< http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/nietzsche/section1.html> [accessed 11th February 2011] Stock, M.2009. The Illusion of the Audience [Internet] Available from :<http://www.matthewstock.com/assets/The%20Illusion%20of%20The%20Au dience_M_Stock%20RP_2009.pdf> [accessed 3rd March 2011] Sutherland, J. 2006 The Ideas Interview: Julia Kristeva [Internet] Available from :< http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/mar/14/highereducation.research 1 > [accessed 8th January 2012] Unknown author Nietzsche and metaphysics [Internet] Available from :< http://www.translatum.gr/etexts/moart.htm> [accessed 20th March 2011] Vanhaesebrouck, K. 2009. Theatre, performance studies and photography, a history of permanent contamination [Internet] Available from :< http://www.scribd.com/doc/52092791/Theater-Performance-etc> [accessed 28th October 2011] E-mails Bosisio, F (2011) E-mail assisting 16th March 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Bosisio, F (frankob2000@yahoo.co.uk)

33 Bossisio, F (2011) E-mail essay 18th March 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Bosisio, F (frankob2000@yahoo.co.uk) Johnson, D (2011) E-mail Re- Victoria Hunt- Dissertation on the Documentation of Performance 17th October 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Johnson, D (dominic@dominicjohnson.co.uk) Johnson, D (2011) E-mail Re- Victoria Hunt- Dissertation on the Documentation of Performance 31st October 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Johnson, D (dominic@dominicjohnson.co.uk) Johnson, D (2011) E-mail Re- Victoria Hunt- Dissertation on the Documentation of Performance 1st November 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Johnson, D (dominic@dominicjohnson.co.uk) Potter, R. (2011) E-mail Re- Vicki Hunt- Photography term 2nd November 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Potter, R (rosiepotter@hotmail.com) Rickard, D. (2011) E-mail Re-Exhaust 22nd June 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (v.moralee@hotmail.co.uk) from Rickard, D (david@david-rickard.net) Rickard, D. (2011) E-mail Exhaust images and notes 11th October 2011. Personal email to Hunt, V (v.moralee@hotmail.co.uk) from Rickard, D (david@davidrickard.net) Stock, M (2011) E-mail dissertation 16th March 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Stock, M (info@matthewstock.com) Stock, M (2011) E-mail dissertation 17th March 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Stock, M (info@matthewstock.com) Stock, M (2011) E-mail new writing 2nd November 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Stock, M (info@matthewstock.com) Vason, M (2011) E-mail Performance and Documentation 27th October 2011. Personal e-mail to Hunt, V (vixattrix@hotmail.com) from Vason, M (email@manuelvason.com)

Interviews Franko B, (2011) Interviewed by Victoria Hunt. London, Bethnal Green, Studio. 23rd March 2011 Brigid Doherty & Hal Foster (2005) Interview. Slought Foundation. 3rd March 2005. [Internet] available at:< http://slought.org/content/11264/> [Accessed 26th March 2011]

34 David Rickard (2010-2012) Interviewed by Victoria Hunt. London. Bethnal Green, Studio 11. Ongoing work as assistant. Matthew Stock (2011) Interviewed by Victoria Hunt. London, New Cross Gate, Goldsmiths College. 16th October 2011. Vishal Sumarria (2011) Interviewed by Victoria Hunt. London, Mayfair, Sumarria Lunn Gallery. 13th December 2011. Film ARTSHOCK: The Human Canvas (2006) Directed by Andy Lee. London, Channel 4 Productions. [DVD] Yoko Ono: Cut Piece: Performane Art (2010) [Internet] Available from :< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfe2qhI5Ix4> [accessed 22nd October 2011]

Exhibitions Franko B, 2011. Fraternize. London: Beaconsfield Gallery. April 2011. Franko B, 2011. I Still Love. London: The Nunnery. May 6th 2011- June 5th 2011. Nakadate. L. 2011. Laurel Nakadate. London: Zabludowicz Collection. Sptember 29th 2011- December 11th 2011. Nakadate, L. 2011. Only the Lonely. New York: MoMA: PS1. January 23rd 2011August 15th 2011. Rickard, D. 2011. Testing the Limits. London: The Nunnery. October 7th 2011November 6th 2011. Rickard, D. 2011. Time + Trace. London: Sumarria Lunn Gallery. June 9th 2011July 1st 2011.

Performances Don t Leave Me This Way. 2008. SITE Gallery, Sheffield. January 25th 2011. Franko B. I m Thinking of You. 2011. Beaconsfield Gallery, London. April 2011. Franko B. Off Air Recording

35 The Body of Art. (2009) Produced by Bob Dickinson. BBC Radio 4. Tuesday 9th June 2009 [Internet] Available from :< http://franko-bnews.blogspot.com/2009/06/body-of-art.html> [accessed 1st February 2012]

Images Abramovic, Marina 2011. Photograph of Marina Abramovic performing Rhythm 0 in 1974 by an unknown photographer. [Online Image] Available from :< http://seancehearts.tumblr.com/post/3308319500/rhythm-0-1974-by-marinaabramovic> [accessed on 1st February 2012] Nakadate, Laurel 2011. Photograph of Laurel Nakadate s exhibition Only the Lonely in MoMA: PS1 in New York by the Gallery. [Online Image] Available from :< http://momaps1.org/exhibitions/view/321> [accessed on 1st February 2012] Vason, Manuel 2000. Franko B performing I Miss You . [Online Image] Available from :< http://www.undo.net/it/magazines/1172165082> [accessed on 1st February 2012] Vason, Manuel 2011. Final photograph taken of David Rickard s performance Exhaust in 2011 by Manuel Vason. [Online Image] Available from :< http://estlaurent.wordpress.com/page/11/> [accessed on 1st February 2012] Vason, Manuel 2011. Photograph taken of Rickard s performance Exhaust in 2011 by Manuel Vason (Detail). [Online Image] Available from :http://www.artcollaboration.co.uk/ > [accessed on 6th February 2012] Vason, Manuel 2011. Shot taken at the beginning of David Rickard s Exhaust in 2011 (Detail) by Manuel Vason. [Online Image] Available from :< http://www.artcollaboration.co.uk/> [accessed on 6th February 2012] Vason, Manuel 2011. Documentation of the Collaboration between Vason and Aaron Williamson for Exposures 2002. [Online Image] Available from :<http://www.artcollaboration.co.uk/ > [accessed on 6th February 2012] Tehching Hsieh, 1980. Still shot from a 35mm film where one still was shot every hour for an entire year 1980-81 Time Clock . [Online Image] Available from :< http://www.one-year-performance.com/> [accessed on 1st February 2012] Yoko Ono, 2007. Photographs of Yoko Ono performing Cut Piece in 1964 by an unknown photographer. [Online Image] Available from :< http://florica.wordpress.com/2007/09/11/yoko-ono-cut-piece/> [accessed on 1st February 2012]