Bruce Barber’s reply to our projects: What is performance art? and Timeline of performance art

Bruce Barber, 2011-05-05

The verb perform and its associated words performer, performance, performing, performative, performatory, perlocutionary and [performance] have both general and specialist uses. Within the past twenty years some quite fine distinctions in meaning have been accorded the terms performance, performative especially in linguistic theory, art history and art criticism and the theory and practice of acting. Perform has been in the English language since the late 15th and early 16th century.

What is performance art?

The word is from the old French par-parfourmer, and early French parfournir meaning to furnish or accomplish completely. Its early 17th century meanings relate it closely to the word function (q.v.) from the Latin functus, fungi, functare, meaning to perform. The most common and useful correspondences between the two words are the twin notions of instrumentality and utility.
read more: BRUCE BARBER What is performance art?

Timeline of performance art

I was first introduced to performance as a student in the Sculpture Department at Auckland University School of Fine Arts in 1969. Some time in 1970 I became a member of the N.Z. Scratch Orchestra, Antipodean Twig from the London Root Group that had been started by Phil Dadson who had just returned from working with Cardew, Parsons and others in London. The Sculpture Department was very progressive at the time and was going through a minimal/conceptual phase. I remained with the S.O. until 1973 and then as a foundation member of the performance/percussiongroup from Scratch.
read more: BRUCE BARBER From Performance to [Performance]

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