Documenting Performance Art

Written by Tania Amodio

Performance art is the communication between the
artist and the audience. In performance art, the artists
medium is the body, and the live actions he or she
performs are the work of artwhich usually consists
of four elements: time, space, the performers body,
and a relationship between audience and performer.
The term, used loosely at first, developed in the early
1960s as artists searched for a way to refer to and
describe the many live performances and events
taking place at that time. Traditionally, the work is
interdisciplinary, employing some form of visual
art, video, sound, or props. Although performance
art takes the form of live action, it has reached a
large public audience through documentation of the
performance.

or actions of the performance; [For example,]

photograph the actions you are performing and the
materials involved [...]. Obtaining permission from
those audience members that will be captured in
your picture frame is considered best practice.
As digital media equipment becomes less expensive,
more accessible and easier to use, some artists are
using video as a means of documenting their work,
instead of still images. Without having to rely on only
two or three selected angles, video has the ability to
document comprehensively in the round, capturing
any spatial considerations such as installation,
depth of field, shadows, and luminosity. Video has
the capacity to contextualize the work in a particular
space, which can give the viewer a sense of the
actual performance. In addition, many people find
video to be a very compelling medium by which to
view the artwork. A combination of video and still
images may also be used, especially for submission
applications, which are then burned onto a DVD.

Much of performance art and documentation survives

through such forms as still images, film, video or
audio footage, scores, traces, objects, remnants or
debris (left behind from the performance), written
descriptions, or any combination of these. Visual
documentation of performance art provides both
a record of the event and evidence that it actually
occurred. Through such forms as photography and
video, visual documentation creates the illusion of
the communication between the the artist and the
audience that it appears to be the perfect instance
of the live performance. The relationship between
the camera and the performance is an integral part
of live art because of the way in which the camera
can capture time. While refraining from discussing
the obvious conceptual and philosophical aspects of
live performance documentation, there is substantial
theoretical debate about documentation as an
entirely separate medium that goes beyond the
scope of this article.

Documenting live performance is an intricate process

because of the ephemeral nature of the artwork and
the challenging relationship that exists between live/
performance art and documentation. Depicting your
work in the best light will capture the experience
of the work as authentically as possible. Kate Barry
recommends that documenting your performance
with video is essential. Jury members often believe
that photography has the potential to create a
false image of the performance, which may often
depict a good photograph but not actually a strong
performance. Video documentation helps to clarify
your performance and has the ability to capture
movement in ways still photography does not. Video
documentation of live art should allow the viewer to
be able to gain a clear sense of the performace.

Taking good photos of performance art requires timing

and knowledge about light, since the artist is most
likely in motion. When documenting performance,
Kate Barry, a performance artist, in Toronto, states
that [its a]good idea to include photographs of
the location so that you contextualize the overall
performance. Is the performance indoors or in an
outdoor space? Is it a gallery space, is it a public
space, is it being performed in a storefront? Also, its
a good idea to take photos of the audience to illustrate
your relationship with the audience in the space.
Moreover, take photographs of the key elements,

Whether capturing the live performance with a

still camera or a video, it is often recommended
that a friend or professional operate the camera.
A discussion around the video documentation of
performance art, however, is much more complex
than taking a photograph and is discussed in greater
detail in CARFAC Ontarios publication, Perfect
Portfolio: Effective Presentation Strategies, available
in time for the holidays!

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