The Arts · Grade 11 · Interdisciplinary Arts and Collaboration · Term 4

Performance Art and Happenings

Investigating the history and practice of performance art, where the artist's body and actions are the medium.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• VA:Cn11.1.HSII
• TH:Cn11.1.HSII

About This Topic

Performance art and happenings center the artist's body and actions as the core medium, often in everyday spaces to blur lines between art and life. Grade 11 students trace this form's history from Allan Kaprow's 1959 '18 Happenings in 6 Parts' to endurance works by Marina Abramović and Yoko Ono. They differentiate it from traditional theater by its lack of scripts, characters, or stages, focusing instead on spontaneity, duration, and direct audience involvement. This meets Ontario curriculum standards VA:Cn11.1.HSII and TH:Cn11.1.HSII through analysis of cultural connections and conventions.

Students evaluate how these works challenge expectations, provoke discomfort, and address social issues like identity and power. Documentation via photos, video, or writing becomes key to preserving ephemeral events, prompting discussions on authenticity and access. This interdisciplinary approach in the unit builds skills for collaborative arts practice.

Active learning excels with this topic because students must perform to grasp its immediacy. Creating and witnessing peer happenings makes theoretical critiques personal, enhances empathy through shared vulnerability, and reinforces documentation's value through real trials.

Key Questions

1. Differentiate between performance art and traditional theater.
2. Analyze how performance art challenges audience expectations and artistic conventions.
3. Evaluate the role of documentation in preserving ephemeral performance art.

Learning Objectives

• Compare and contrast the core elements of performance art and traditional theatre, identifying key differences in medium, structure, and audience interaction.
• Analyze how specific performance art pieces challenge established artistic conventions and audience expectations regarding form, content, and the role of the artist.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of various documentation methods, such as photography, video, and written accounts, in preserving the ephemeral nature of performance art.
• Create a short performance piece that utilizes the artist's body and immediate environment as the primary medium, demonstrating an understanding of performance art principles.
• Synthesize historical context with contemporary examples to explain the evolution and impact of performance art on broader artistic and cultural landscapes.

Before You Start

Elements of Drama

Why: Understanding basic dramatic elements like character, plot, and setting provides a foundation for distinguishing performance art's departure from traditional theatrical structures.

Introduction to Visual Arts Concepts

Why: Familiarity with concepts like medium, form, and artistic intent in visual arts helps students grasp how performance art utilizes different materials and approaches.

Key Vocabulary

Happening	An art event, often spontaneous and involving audience participation, that blurs the lines between performer and spectator, and art and everyday life. Allan Kaprow is a key figure.
Ephemeral Art	Art that exists only for a limited time, such as performance art, installations that decay, or land art that erodes. Documentation is crucial for its preservation.
Body as Medium	The use of the artist's own physical body as the primary tool and material for creating art, often involving endurance, action, or presence. Marina Abramović is known for this.
Documentation	The process of recording performance art through various media like photography, video, or written text. This is essential for studying and remembering works that are not permanent.
Audience Interaction	The direct engagement or involvement of spectators in a performance art piece, which can range from passive observation to active participation, often breaking down traditional performer-audience divides.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Performance art is just acting like in theater.

What to Teach Instead

Performance art prioritizes real-time actions and audience participation over scripted roles. Pairs practicing both forms side-by-side helps students sense the raw presence versus rehearsal, clarifying distinctions through direct experience.

Common Misconception

Happenings have no lasting value because they end.

What to Teach Instead

Documentation extends their impact; small group trials with varied capture methods show students how records spark ongoing dialogue, countering views of ephemerality as limitation.

Common Misconception

Performance art aims only to shock viewers.

What to Teach Instead

Deeper themes like endurance or politics emerge in analysis; whole-class performances followed by peer critiques reveal layers, helping students move past surface reactions.

Active Learning Ideas

Pairs Practice: Body Actions Exploration

Partners select a simple action using only their bodies, such as slow repetition or mirroring. They perform for 5 minutes in front of the class, then switch roles. Class discusses how actions convey meaning without words.

35 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Mini-Happening Creation

Groups plan a 3-minute happening using classroom objects and school spaces. They rehearse actions that interact with audience, perform, and lead a 5-minute reflection circle on challenges met.

50 min·Small Groups

Whole Class: Documentation Relay

Class performs a collective action sequence. Students rotate roles: performers, photographers, videographers, note-takers. Review footage together to critique effectiveness of each method.

45 min·Whole Class

Individual: Critical Response Journal

Students view clips of historic performances, journal responses to key questions on conventions challenged and documentation needs. Share one entry in pairs for feedback.

25 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Museums like the Tate Modern in London and MoMA in New York actively collect and exhibit documentation of performance art, making historical and contemporary works accessible to a global audience.
• Contemporary artists use performance art techniques in social activism and political protest, such as Pussy Riot's public performances in Russia, to convey messages and challenge authority.
• The development of digital platforms and social media has created new avenues for performance artists to share their work globally, reaching audiences beyond traditional gallery or theatre spaces.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'If a performance art piece is not documented, does it still exist as art?' Facilitate a class discussion where students must cite specific examples of ephemeral art and the role of documentation in their understanding or preservation.

Exit Ticket

Ask students to write down one key difference between performance art and traditional theatre, and one way a specific performance art piece they learned about challenged audience expectations. Collect these as students leave.

Peer Assessment

After students create a short, simple performance art piece, have them present it. Peers then provide feedback using a simple rubric: Did the student use their body as the primary medium? Was there an attempt to engage the audience or challenge expectations? Was the performance documented (even simply with a phone)? Students offer one specific suggestion for improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What differentiates performance art from traditional theater?

Performance art uses the artist's authentic body and unscripted actions in real time and space, often involving audiences directly, unlike theater's fictional narratives, sets, and rehearsals. Ontario Grade 11 standards emphasize this through analysis of conventions. Teaching via side-by-side simulations lets students feel the immediacy, building precise comparisons.

How to introduce the history of happenings to Grade 11 students?

Start with Kaprow's events and Fluxus, using short video clips and timelines. Connect to Canadian artists like General Idea for local relevance. Small group jigsaws where teams research one era and teach peers ensure active engagement and retention of key developments.

What are effective ways to document ephemeral performance art?

Combine photos for instants, video for duration, and journals for context. Student-led relays testing methods highlight strengths, like video capturing interaction missed in stills. This practice aligns with curriculum evaluation of preservation, making abstract needs concrete.

How can active learning help students grasp performance art?

Participating in peer happenings embodies vulnerability and spontaneity that lectures miss. Groups creating works experience challenges firsthand, while critiques build analysis skills. This approach, tied to Ontario standards, boosts retention by 30-50% through kinesthetic ties, fostering deeper connections to history and theory.