Overview
- withe assignment 1- Choose one of the following Fluxus compositions from the 1960s to interpret and perform (sourced from The Fluxus Performance Workbook, edited by Ken Friedman, Owen Smith, and Lauren Sawchyn, https://www.thing.net/~grist/ld/fluxusworkbook.pdfLinks to an external site.):
- Ken Friedman, Fruit Sonata, 1963. "Play baseball with a fruit."
- Milan Knizak, Line, 1965. "A line is drawn on the sidewalk with chalk. The longest line wins."
- Alison Knowles, Giveaway Construction, 1963. "Find something you like in the street and give it away. Or find a variety of things, make something of them, and give it away."
- Emmett Williams, Song of Uncertain Length, 1960. "Performer balances bottle on own head and walks about singing or speaking until bottle falls."
- Record your performance of the instructions in this Fluxus composition and share that recording here in your Discussion post. Your recording could be a short video, a photo, a picture or photo of a visual artwork, or a sound recording of the event. Make sure to read the guidelines and follow instructions for embedding/including a media file in your Discussion post.
- Have a friend or family member record your performance if you can, or set up a camera to record video and/or a still photo.
- You can also record yourself performing right here in Canvas.
- You can also take a photo of the finished product and submit it as the record of your performance.
- Refer to these Canvas guides for including a media file in your Discussion post:
- How do I record media using Rich Content Editor?Links to an external site.
- How do I upload and embed a media file from my computer in the Rich Content Editor?Links to an external site.
- Provide a personal reflection of your experience performing the Fluxus composition (minimum one paragraph). Your reflection should explain:
- Why you chose the specific composition you did;
- What initial thoughts and ideas you had in response to reading the composition;
- How successful you felt your performance was in comparison to what you had in mind. For instance, were there any obstacles or challenges in executing your performance? Anything unexpected occur, either for better or for worse?
- What kinds of thoughts and feelings went through your mind in the process of performing the composition;
- And finally, what kind of reaction do you think audience members would have to witnessing your performance. What do you expect your fellow peers to see, think, and feel?
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Rebly on A& B
A/ To put it simply, the nkisi nkondi figures were made by the Kongo people, and it's function is in the name itself, power, they are meant to fight off evil forces, to provide protection, and they are even meant serve communities and maintain law and order on the Kongo. These figures do have different definitions provided from the sources provided. According to Kampen O’Reilly and her book "Art Beyond the West," he brings up how the nkisi nkondi figures were used in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Kongo priests. He brings up how these figures mean "hunter," and how the priests "hunt" for solutions to village problems and keep law and order, so similar to my definition, but slightly different. Pamela McCluskey talks about a very different kind of nkondi figure, one with nail and blades in it's body, and how this is supposed to represent negativity and how it's a model of vengeance, so I see it as an example of what not to be, and represents to again, keep order. So both have very different examples, but they represent the same thing, to protect and keep order of Kongo.
It wasn't too difficult to understand the figure's meaning for me personally because of my cultural background and having similar kinds of objects. I'm half Laotian, so I've been around Buddhism thanks to my mom, and she has taught me about certain objects as good luck charms and as a way of protection. For example, my mom gave me some charms to keep in my car so if I were to get into an accident, I would be ok, I would be protected. It's not the same at all compared to the nkisi nkondi figures, but because of my background, it was easier for me to understand. If I weren't exposed to Buddhism from my mom, it would be difficult for me to fully understand. As for objects that are misinterpreted in pop culture, I genuinely can't think of anything that is uncomfortable because of it being misunderstood.
McCluskey also brings up how the slave trade and African art were connected, and my understanding of it, many African artists reacted to the slave trade with their art, like the nkisi nkondi figure she brings up. Artists were able to illustrate what life was like around them with these figures, making them that much more impactful in my eyes. In this essay, she also brings up a posture a nkisi nkondi figure can have, being the Pakalala, which means ready to attack and defend, and I just thought that was interesting with how it relates back to what these figures are for, to protect.
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B- The nkisi nkondi figures are important artifacts in African art, particularly associated with the Kongo people of Central Africa. These sculptures served various functions, primarily as containers for spiritual forces. They were used in rituals to address personal grievances, dispense justice, or to protect the community. Nkisi nkondi figures could be embedded with nails, blades, or other symbolic objects to reinforce their power and presence.
The sources inspected did give similar commentary on the nkisis nkondi figures. However, the article by Kampen OReilly “Africa” Presented an interesting Idea. It illustrated how the nkisi nkondi figures were in a way hunters because the persists used those works to “hunt” for solutions that sprang up around the village. For example wrongdoers that did not keep there word.
The difficulty in understanding these figures often stems from Western cultural backgrounds, where the spiritual and ritualistic aspects of objects can be underappreciated or misinterpreted. Due to the fact that many western countries have this hyper focused view on what a sparitual and ritualistic event should look and act. In my background, I haven't encountered similar objects, but there are parallels in the misinterpretation of Indigenous or non-Western artifacts. Furthermore, in popular culture I haven't stumbled upon objects that have been similarly misinterpreted. However, The media that comes to mind when discussing misinterpretation is the internet where many people believe that the information illustrated is always true when in reality its not.
McCluskey likely related the slave trade to the collecting of African objects by discussing the historical context of how many of these objects came to be in Western collections through colonialism, trade, and exploitation of African resources.
What's interesting in McCluskey's essay is the exploration of how African art was initially undervalued and misunderstood in Western contexts, and how scholars and collectors have worked to rectify this by acknowledging the cultural and spiritual significance of nkisi nkondi figures. Additionally, the essay may delve into the evolving perceptions of African art in contemporary society. It's worth examining how our understanding of cultural objects can change over time, as well as the ethical considerations of collecting and displaying artifacts with spiritual or historical significance.