BODY AS MEDIUM: SELF-PORTRAITURE AND PERFORMANCE
Ages 16-29
Spring 2022, Online
In this distance learning workshop, student fellows will devise and create self-portraits on film, emphasizing the body as a plastic medium shaped by the artist, and finding new ways to interact with the camera. In discussion they’ll define the key terms of the workshop: How do we understand the term "medium" in art-making? What qualifies as an artistic medium, and how can artists use themselves as their material? What is a self-portrait, and how can we broaden the definition? And what does "liveness" mean in performance? How can it be documented on video? Fellows will consider the history of performance art as a genre, examining the work of artists like Carolee Schneeman, Hannah Wilke, and Anna Mendieta. They’ll respond to writing and performance prompts with collaborative writing games and guided movement improvisations; and they’ll keep a journal between meetings. Each fellow will devise a complete short performance piece, and record a version of it on video. Their work will be shared through a public exhibition and on the program website. Limited to 8 student fellows.
Caroline Preziosi is a writer and artist from Baltimore. She has spent the last few years writing and teaching, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Writing at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is interested in exploring memory––the imperceptible and transparent moments of recalling image and experience.
Frank (Qiqian) Shi is a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate double majoring in environmental science and economics. He is passionate about delivering the voices of communities through images.
