OKAY! I definitely was NOT expecting that! For me, both of these clips were incredibly haunting. I watched the first one, Marina Abramovic’s “Art Must Be Beautiful,” and just sat there stunned. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but something about the clip struck me as disturbing.
Right away, the black and white color provides mystery – we don’t see the world as it is accurately depicted in color. I’m not sure if this was because the year was 1975 or if it was an artistic decision, but the lack of color leaves only the pure simplicity of her actions. Additionally, the clip begins blurry, but then moves into focus a bit more, showing the clarity as one becomes more “beautiful.” The only text in the clip, “Art must be beautiful, artist must be beautiful,” is a recurring theme throughout. Not only does she continue repeating it as a mantra for existence, but she pursues it to an excruciatingly painful extent. The ejection of sound forces her beauty to come out, just as her art. As if the pain already wasn’t enough, she uses two brushes in her hair, increasing the pain even further. Hair, an object that is normally seen as beautiful and light, is actually causing pain. Oh, and did I mention she was naked? Yeah, there are boobies, people. Her nakedness reveals how open, exposed, and insecure she is to the rest of the world – despite her best attempts, she can’t become as beautiful as art. Her growing frustrations in being unable to achieve the beauty desired are used as a mechanism for dealing with her inability to feel like a beautiful artist.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, we have the wonderful opportunity of seeing Ron Athey in “Self Obliteration #1: Ecstatic 2.” Basically, the title says it all. The minute the video started, a creepy sound blared into my ears. This set the mood for a performance that is sure to impact its viewers. In fact, throughout Ron lets his body do the talking, and doesn’t say a word; this furthers the sense of mystery and makes the audience focus on his body and acts. Viewers question what is on his body – is it red body paint, a symbol for blood and pain, or is it real blood? Oh, and what’s up with the blond wig. Does Ron represent femininity? The way that he wraps it around himself, similarly to Marina’s use of hair, serves its purpose as something that inflicts pain rather than something to be cherished for its beauty. The representation of pain is visible through Ron’s attempt to find a method of escape into something greater.
Without much context, it was difficult to close read exactly what was being portrayed… but when I let my imagination do the work, what I found was incredibly disturbing.
I agree that without much context, it was difficult to close read! However, I agree with the close reading that you did in this case with both performances.
ReplyDeleteI like how you compared both performer's use of hair. I would close read that even more and discuss the color of the hair and why each performer chose that specific method of inflicting self-pain or representing self-pain.
I think it was great how you close read the significance of hair--which is usually viewed positively--as the thing that is causing her pain. I know you say that, in Marina's piece, the act of trying to become beautiful causes her pain, and I agree, but I wonder how you read the moments of pleasure that she seems to experience?
ReplyDeleteI think you did a really great close reading, and I liked what you said about her naked body exposing her to the world. I sort read her nakedness as something different, though. At the beginning of the clip, the viewer does not know that Marina is naked; this is only revealed later on. To me, her nakedness is sexual, and the pleasure she receives from hurting her head becomes amplified when her breasts are exposed. It gives her pleasure a more sexual tone.
ReplyDelete