Live Art in the UK : Contemporary Performances of Precarity

Since entering the performance lexicon in the 1970s, the term Live Art has been used to describe a diverse but interrelated array of performance practices and approaches. This volume offers a contextual and critical introduction to the scene of contemporary Live Art in Britain. Focusing on the key artists, companies and organisations with a prolific body of work and which have been vital to the development of contemporary practice, this edited volume maps the landscape, illuminating the origins, concerns and aesthetics of Live Art in the UK today. In their Introduction to the volume, the editor situate Live Art in relation to other related areas of artistic practice such as Performance Art and Body Art, and explore Live Art as a British phenomenon, considering questions of cultural specificity, financial and institutional support, and social engagement. A Prologue further maps the context by tracing the work and impact of key organisations and frameworks on the Live Art scene in the UK, in particular the Live Art Development Agency, besides Artsadmin, Arts Catalyst and Spill festival. Across three sections leading scholars offer case studies exploring the practice of key artists: \* Section One: Experiments In Life / Experiments In Art Anne Bean, Marisa Carnesky, and Julia Bardsley \* Section Two: Performances Of Conflict And Resolution, Hurt And Healing Adrian Howells, Alastair MacLennan, and Kira O’Reilly \* Section Three: Camp, Comedy And Laughs David Hoyle, Duckie Performance Collective, and Marcia Farquhar "Since entering the performance lexicon in the 1970s, the term Live Art has been used to describe a diverse but interrelated array of performance practices and approaches. This volume offers a contextual and critical introduction to the scene of contemporary Live Art in Britain. Focusing on key artists whose prolific body of work has been vital to the development of contemporary practice, this collection studies the landscape of Live Art in the UK today and illuminates its origins, as well as particular concerns and aesthetics. The introduction to the volume situates Live Art in relation to other areas of artistic practice and explores the form as a British phenomenon. It considers questions of cultural specificity, financial and institutional support, and social engagement, by tracing the work and impact of key organizations on the UK scene: the Live Art Development Agency, SPILL Festival of Performance and Compass Live Art. Across three sections, leading scholars offer case studies exploring the practice of key artists Tim Etchells, Marisa Carnesky, Marcia Farquhar, Franko B, Martin O'Brien, Oreet Ashery, David Hoyle, Jordan McKenzie, and Cosey Fanni Tutti."-- Provided by publisher

Since entering the performance lexicon in the 1970s, the term Live Art has been used to describe a diverse but interrelated array of performance practices and approaches. This volume offers a contextual and critical introduction to the scene of contemporary Live Art in Britain. Focusing on key artists whose prolific body of work has been vital to the development of contemporary practice, this collection studies the landscape of Live Art in the UK today and illuminates its origins, as well as particular concerns and aesthetics. The introduction to the volume situates Live Art in relation to other areas of artistic practice and explores the form as a British phenomenon. It considers questions of cultural specificity, financial and institutional support, and social engagement, by tracing the work and impact of key organizations on the UK scene: the Live Art Development Agency, SPILL Festival of Performance and Compass Live Art. Across three sections, leading scholars offer case studies exploring the practice of key artists Tim Etchells, Marisa Carnesky, Marcia Farquhar, Franko B, Martin O'Brien, Oreet Ashery, David Hoyle, Jordan McKenzie, and Cosey Fanni Tutti.

Cover Contents List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Acknowledgements Live Art in the UK: Shaping a Field Maria Chatzichristodoulou Part One Experiments in Life and in Art 1 ‘All We Have Is Words, All We Have Is Worlds’: Language, Looping and the Work of Tim Etchells Sara Jane Bailes 2 Marisa Carnesky, Showwoman Roberta Mock 3 Marcia Farquhar: Divergent Auto/Biographies and Lines of Hope Deirdre Heddon Part Two Performances of Conflict, Resolution, Hurt and Healing 4 The Gold Standard: The Performances of Franko B Dominic Johnson 5 Sparkles and Sputum: The Sick Body of Martin O’Brien Gianna Bouchard 6 The Artist Is No Longer Present: Encounter, Assembly and Withdrawal in the Work of Oreet Ashery Johanna Linsley Part Three Camp, Comedy and Laughs 7 Just a Camp Laugh? David Hoyle’s Laden Levity Gavin Butt 8 Jordan McKenzie: Three Works Katie Beswick 9 Performance and Prostitution: The Magazine Actions of Cosey Fanni Tutti Eleanor Roberts References Index