Live Art in the UK: Contemporary Performances of Precarity [Hardcover]

Since entering the performance lexicon in the 1970s, the term Live Art has been used to describe a diverse but interrelated array of performance practices and approaches. This volume offers a contextual and critical introduction to the scene of contemporary Live Art in Britain. Focusing on key artists whose prolific body of work has been vital to the development of contemporary practice, this collection studies the landscape of Live Art in the UK today and illuminates its origins, as well as particular concerns and aesthetics.

The introduction to the volume situates Live Art in relation to other areas of artistic practice and explores the form as a British phenomenon. It considers questions of cultural specificity, financial and institutional support, and social engagement, by tracing the work and impact of key organizations on the UK scene: the Live Art Development Agency, SPILL Festival of Performance and Compass Live Art. Across three sections, leading scholars offer case studies exploring the practice of key artists Tim Etchells, Marisa Carnesky, Marcia Farquhar, Franko B, Martin O'Brien, Oreet Ashery, David Hoyle, Jordan McKenzie, and Cosey Fanni Tutti.

Introduction by Maria Chatzichristodoulou
Prologue: Live Art Development Agency and other key organisations, by Maria Chatzichristodoulou

Section One: Experiments in Life / Experiments in Art
1. Experiments in 'Life Art': The Performances of Anne Bean, by Dominic Johnson (Queen Mary, University of London, UK)
2. Marisa Carnesky: Show-woman, by Roberta Mock (Plymouth University, UK)
3. There's no business like show business / On Julia Bardsley, by Christophe Alix (Ecole Sup?rieure des Arts de l'Image ESAl³,