As I've fallen behind in my "part A" of researching the history of performance art and as a result have lost some steam I thought I'd start this week off with a quick stroll down featured-artist lane with a look at artist Carolee Schneemann. Born 1939 in Fox Chase, Pennsylvania Schneemann is known for mixing various kinds of media, most notably painting, performance and film. The themes most explored in her work by far are sexuality, taboo, and the body. For example, Schneeman often used her cat as a performer in her pieces. The cat would act as an observer, unfazed by the human interaction around it. Below is Carolee Schneemann's "Fuses", a film, collage, painting, performance sequence of the artist and her partner composer James Tenney (with the silent observer "Kitch" the cat).
So, my next question is, does Carolee Schneemann want us to be like Kitch the cat? I'm certain that Kitch is there to expose our taboos, to expose the vast difference between his reaction to sexuality and ours. Kitch isn't shocked, or disgusted, or turned on, or angered by what's happening in front of him, our feelings about the piece is obviously very different. Is Schneeman asserting that Kitch's reaction is more appropriate or healthy than ours? Or is she just asking us to recognize our own reaction??
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