Assignment 1 - Performance Research Essay

Your Task is to:

• research a company or artist (see possible companies, artists and organisations in the reading list).
• identify a key work (ie one production/happening/performance - use reviews and other reporting to inform your understanding).
• position that key work within their broader body of work (use the digital footprint and other scholarship).
• develop a research question to discuss the select work(s) from a critically informed position (use the readings, and themes in the list as a starting point).

You can critically analyse the chosen work from any theoretical lens, but aim to select a clear frame for your analysis and research question that can guide your discussion/argument.

Reflect on:

• living bodies, real action, choreographed movement.
• soundscapes, visual projection, animated objects.
• site specificity, multiple sites, installation, environments.
• durational significance, time-shifting, evolution over time.
• flexible audience relations, audience as performer.
• mediation, transmission, networking, game play.

It might be useful to ask yourself:

• Had you been at the performance, what would the experience be like? How would it feel?
• How have writers conveyed the 'liveness' of the performance, the bodies, or lived experience?
• How do ideas in readings connect with the performance?
• You may choose one performance as your focus and compare it with one or two others. Keep in mind we're studying innovative and experimental works that extend beyond the conventions of dramatic theatre.
• Does the performance illuminate, transform, enrich your understanding of a theoretical position? What ideas, issues, questions, attitudes, experiences or feelings are invoked by the performance? 

  Assessment Criteria

• demonstrates familiarity with the select company or artists by selecting a clear case study that makes for meaningful exploration.
• demonstrates skills in interpretation and critical reflection, using meaningful examples from the work(s) to illustrate main points.
• demonstrates a clear understanding of relevant aesthetic, performance or ethical contexts that shape both the work and creative or critical responses to it.
• introduces, summarises, paraphrases and responds to scholarly, journalistic, creative sources effectively.
• conforms to academic conventions with regard to style, grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalisation and creating a works cited page.

Question:  How does Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0 (1974) utilise the artist’s passive body and the agency of the audience to simultaneously demonstrate and deconstruct the violent potential of the performer-spectator relationship?

Summary of Assessment Requirements

This assessment required students to:

• Research an artist/company from the provided reading list.
• Select one key work (performance, production, or happening) and position it within the artist’s broader body of work.
• Develop a research question that critically analyses the chosen work through a specific theoretical lens.
• Critically evaluate the work with reference to themes such as bodies, soundscapes, sites, audience relations, mediation, and temporality.
• Draw on reviews, reports, and scholarly sources to support the analysis.
• Reflect on audience experience and liveness, connecting observations to academic theory.
• Meet academic standards, including paraphrasing, referencing, and clear scholarly writing.

The sample research question selected was:
How does Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0 (1974) utilise the artist’s passive body and the agency of the audience to simultaneously demonstrate and deconstruct the violent potential of the performer-spectator relationship?

Step-by-Step Approach Guided by the Academic Mentor

1. Understanding the Task
   The mentor began by breaking down the assessment requirements, ensuring the student clearly understood what was expected—particularly the need to combine artistic description with critical theory.

2. Selecting the Artist and Key Work
   Together, the mentor and student identified Marina Abramović as a suitable subject, given her reputation in performance art and availability of scholarly resources. Rhythm 0 (1974) was chosen as the key work because of its experimental nature and relevance to performer-audience dynamics.

3. Positioning within the Broader Body of Work
   The mentor guided the student to research Abramović’s larger body of work (e.g., endurance art, the role of the body as material) to show how Rhythm 0 both fits into and extends her artistic practice.

4. Formulating the Research Question
   Through discussion, the mentor helped refine the research question, focusing it on the passive body, audience agency, and the violent potential in performer-spectator relations, which gave the paper a strong theoretical anchor.

5. Critical Framework and Theoretical Lens
   The mentor encouraged the student to draw on performance theory, audience studies, and ethical considerations of liveness. Readings on body politics, participatory art, and power relations were suggested as frameworks.

6. Structuring the Argument

The mentor advised a clear structure:

• Introduction (artist, work, research question).
• Contextualising Abramović’s practice.
• Close analysis of Rhythm 0.
• Engagement with theory and reviews.
• Reflection on audience experience and implications.

• Conclusion linking back to the research question.

1. Academic Writing and Referencing

   The mentor emphasized paraphrasing rather than direct quoting, integrating reviews and scholarly works seamlessly, and ensuring a proper works cited page.

Outcome and Learning Objectives Achieved

The final outcome was a well-structured critical essay that:

• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of Marina Abramović and her body of work.
• Provided a focused critical analysis of Rhythm 0, situating it in performance studies discourse.
• Used theoretical frameworks (audience agency, liveness, violence in performance) to support arguments.
• Reflected on audience experience and the ethical implications of participatory performance.
• Met academic standards of clarity, referencing, and critical engagement.

Learning Objectives Covered:

• Developing research and analytical skills through artist and performance study.
• Applying critical theory to artistic practice.
• Enhancing ability to interpret performance within cultural and ethical contexts.
• Strengthening academic writing and referencing skills.

Get the Right Guidance for Your Assignment Success

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