Site Specific Art, charts the development of an experimental art form that creates performance in an original way.
There are many different types of Site Specific work. Some can be considered simple yet effective (such as two people standing naked in a doorway, letting people walk between them, Marina Abramovic and Ulay – Imponderabilia). Others can stand for something like a cause or protest, such as Mad For Real – Soya Sauce and Ketchup Fight. In 2000 these two artists threw Ketchup and Soya sauce at each other in the middle of a protest to show that in the middle of everything all it really comes down to is two sides fighting for the same thing.
It is quite incredible how different my opinion is of some performances in comparison to other people. An example is Annie Sprinkle’s performance called ‘Post Porn Modernist’ where she encouraged members of the public to gaze upon her genitalia through a magnifying glass. She stated that everyone was born naked, so why do people feel embarrassed when talking about, looking at or even thinking about a naked human being. She allowed audience members to stare for as long as they wished at her cervix. For me I don’t see this as art, or even a performance. I don’t see this as a normal thing to gaze upon and I can understand why people feel uncomfortable around the naked human form. The naked body is often exposed in some site-specific performances, shown by Annie Sprinkle and Marina Abramovic.
However because The Mad For Real performance stood for something, it became more enjoyable to watch and feel a part of it. They used the sauces as a way to show their voices rather than to speak and not be heard. They became a visual act that was amusing and original.
‘In recent years, the exploration of site has again become a privileged investigation.’ Space Site Intervention, Suderburg, E.
There are many different ways to describe what a site-specific performance is and many people still try to define what truly makes a performance site based.
Works cited:
Abramovic, M, Ulay (1977) Imponderabilia.
Mad For Real (2000) Soya Sauce and Ketchup Fight.
Sprinkle, A. (1989-1996) Post porn modernist .
Suderburg, E. (1995, 23) Space Site Intervention, Situating Instillation Art. Minnesota: The University of Minnesota Press.