Visual theatre and performance art : relationships and differences between the visual arts and the medium of performance

Abstract

This dissertation will survey the relationship between theatre/performance-making and the visual arts through an examination of the similarities and differences between visual theatre and performance art. Given that the main focus of the study is the role of the visual in performance, the aesthetic element within the context of performance will feature as a key aspect throughout the discussion. The research will start with an observation of Antonin Artaud’s vision of a Theatre of Cruelty. Artaud’s notions of alternative aesthetics for theatre will serve as backdrop to critically assess what influenced the aesthetics of contemporary theatre/performance-making. The aim is to reveal to what extent twentieth-century visual-art developments affected the medium of performance. Accordingly, this study will also look at how visual art movements have indirectly instilled a notion of visual aesthetics within the process of performance. Hans-Thies Lehmann’s postdramatic paradigm will serve as a bridge connecting the twentieth century with contemporary aesthetics. The aesthetic aspect will also take into account the presentation of the body in performance, and address issues of body politics in relation to aesthetics. The study will be supported by an analysis of two case-study performances, namely Robert Wilson’s Einstein on the Beach (1976) and Marina Abramović’s The Artist is Present (2010), which belong to the realms of visual theatre and performance art respectively. Moreover, the movements of Futurism and Surrealism will be included within the discussion and considered as influences which have shaped performance art and visual theatre respectively. In conclusion, this dissertation will clarify the impact of visual arts upon performative aesthetics.