Jill Orr 1.

Performance art shocks the audience into reassessing their notion of art, asking where the boundaries of art are. Do you agree with this statement? Have the photographs youve seen of Orrs work changed your perception of art? Performance art often challenges traditional, social and cultural practices of art because of its unconventional artistic style. Post-modern artists sought to redefine art as more than precious items in museums and art galleries, and artworks belonging to this genre of art, are no longer a preserved object, but rather a temporary experience and sensation that could not be easily reproduced. It is art performed live, is temporary, and allows for multiple interpretations to be made. There are no longer rules for art-making, and like Jill Orrs performances, are unconventional and controversial. Orrs intends to shock her audience, provoking a response that is often just as powerful as the piece itself. Works such as Bleeding Trees, demonstrates performance art as a way of appealing directly to large public, as well as shocking audiences into reassessing their own notions of art and its relation to culture. From documented forms, this particular performance consisted of Jill Orr strung up in a dead tree and also half buried in the earth. Her motives are ambiguous although reflects environmental concerns in her performance. She is one many artists who have challenged the boundaries of art. Through portraying their artwork in the form of live performances, these artworks are subjected to being documented by a recording that captures the visual and [sound] of the experience, but cannot capture the full sensory and emotional impact of the effective piece of art. Performance art intends to make an impression, and so challenges the boundaries of art because an artist essentially needs to label it as art for it to be acknowledged. 2. Performance artists use the body like other artists use paint or clay. Jill Orr is a very good example of this medium. Look at the photographs from She had long golden hair and Pain Melts and explain how she uses her body as an art tool She had long golden hair: In this performance, Orr takes on the role of both the subject and artist. As she stands in a trance-like manner, detained by metallic chains attached to the hairs on her head she sets a horrific and morbid atmosphere of her artwork. With her lifeless facial expression and dress (that adds an emphasis on her feminine attributes), Orr communicates the traumatic experiences of being a woman. As the artist, she requests the audience free her from the chains (that are attached to her womanhood) and it is through these instructions does she demonstrate her intentions of the piece. Pain Melts: In the documented photograph, Jill Orr balances on large ice blocks, above a fire that burns aggressively below her. She has positioned her body between the ice cubes and becomes the focal point of the photograph (and performance). She has painted her body with various strokes, reminiscent of scars (from various degrees of burns), and in doing this, her body becomes a symbol for the emotional pain that has influenced this artwork.

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Define these terms: Ritual: a series of actions or type of behaviour regularly and invariable followed by someone Tableau vivant: A scene presented by costumed actors who remain silent and motionless on a stage, as if in a picture. Earth work: sculpture created from the landscape. Focal point: the portion of an artworks composition on which interest or attention centres.