My Interview with Marilyn Arsem on Performance Art (Patreon)

More on Marilyn Arsem here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Arsem

1. What is unique about Performance Art to you? What sets it apart from other art forms?

I appreciate that performance art operates on a human scale, that it is ephemeral, and that it can incorporate all the senses. I value the fact that it is generally presented in intimate settings that allows me, as the viewer, to witness the artist making decisions in the moment in the act of creating a work of art.

2. What is an example of a performance you have created and/or seen that exemplifies this quality of performance art?

Two artists whose work I love to watch are Sandra Johnston from Northern Ireland, and Fernando Ribeiro from Brazil.

I think of performances of Sandra's where she examines a small object, exploring all its physical qualities and their relationship to her own body. Her meticulous inquiry and attention to the smallest detail is rapt and reveals nuances that are normally overlooked. It becomes riveting for the viewer who is also willing to give the same amount of time and attention.

Fernando often gives himself a simple physical task to do, but one that is nearly impossible. We spend our time watching him defy the laws of nature as he works to achieve his goal. One example was a performance where he was working under a strict time constraint but wanted to touch the ceiling. The only thing available were chairs, which he piled up to climb. The precarious nature of the solution raised the stakes and the risks of success. The anticipation and tension were palpable for everyone as he raced against gravity and the clock.

With my own work I think of Water Moving which I did in 2019. The task was straightforward.  Each day I charted where a liter of water flowed on the floor of the room. Every hour I outlined the edges of the water, recording its movement outward as well as its shrinking as it evaporated. The drawing on the floor became a topographical map of its history. The conversations with the audience, about water, about time, were at the heart of the work.

3. How would you describe your creative process?

I try to make work that functions as a conversation with a place and the people who are there. There are always pressures to make the performance that we think we should make, but I try to be alert to what I want to do and what I need to do. I pay attention to what is drawing me in, where there is undiscovered territory, mysteries and possibilities. I try to do things that I haven't done before, to choose actions that challenge me. Performance, for me, is embodied thinking; a way of learning about the world around me.