Description

By looking at some of the key questions of contemporary art practice in relation to performance, authorship, re-enactment, in-authenticity and collaboration, this text critically re-examines the role of the PhD by practice, where the work is also the text. The central section of the text is a 'theatre play', which is then enacted through a series of 'performance strategies', some but not all of which have been performed and documented in this book. Each of these become an exercise in re-interpretation, deconstruction and expansion of the written text into the world and include John Bock playing the corpse of Che Guevara or conversations between Lord Krishna of Hindu mythology and Albert Camus in the basement of the Henry Moore Institute. Set within the context of works by varying individuals such as The Living Theatre, Lali Chetwynd, Catherine Sullivan and Asco, the text aims to investigate the politics of engagement, making links between curatorial and artistic practice. It should be of interest to professionals in the visual arts and cultural fields, including performance studies, curating and contemporary visual practice.