- In his interview with Klaus Biesenbach about his early video and performance work, Acconci states: “Art to me was kind of fakery.”
What do you think Acconci could have meant by this?
I perceived that for Acconci art wasn’t real. I think that he never considered what he did as art, but as activities and explorations throughout his life. One could even say that he believed art wasn’t a real thing, or that art was improvised and unrealistic. Although many of Acconci’s pieces seemed to have been merely the cause of exploration, it is clear that in every piece there were very specific intentional plans to carry out each film. For example, in the piece “two takes” the artist tests his physical limitations, as well those of the woman in the video (Kathy Dillon). He chose an object external to him. Also in Grass/Mouth and Hair/Mouth, Acconci put grass and then hair in his mouth and down his throat to the point of gagging. He took out the hair from his mouth and began again. This planned cycle and performance is what Acconci refers to as just activities. The beauty of it is that he never saw these as art; therefore the fact that the way these activities were captured became actual icons is a beautiful accident.
- What are some of the ways in which Acconci explores identity via the binary of masculinity/ femininity?
(refer to his piece “Openings” in particular, as well as others)
Acconci explores his own identity, as well as, other aspects of societal issues all throughout these pieces. The main focus of the art is on him his body, face, hair, voice and his poetry. Through his experimentations he creates this personality that only inhabits the art world and that interacts with the viewers by performance. In the piece “Openings” Acconci uses his navel hair as a medium to show the audience an aspect of his masculinity. In this piece, there is a close-up of the artist’s navel as he pulls out the hairs around it. Acconci pulls his hairs out for a series of reasons, to clear a space, clear the film frame, enlarge the space of the navel, and he is opening himself. The hair being pulled out may be a symbol for a mask or something Acconci hides that he is now removing to open his masculinity to the public. His piece “Manipulations” may also suggest something about his personality and his masculinity. In this piece, Acconci directs Kathy Dillon’s movements through his own almost as if she is his puppet. This controlling nature over humans and things may be a part of his nature, or a stereotype for men.
- What do you think Acconci was trying to achieve in Seedbed and Following Piece – potentially his most famous works? What relevance does the notion of space have in these works (public vs private)?
I think Acconci’s goal in both pieces was to really break the boundary between public and private space. In “Seedbed” he masturbated for 8 hours underneath a slanted floor where all kinds of people would walk over him without knowing. Because masturbating is an act typically done in private and Acconci does it in a public space, it challenges the notion of space by performing a private action in a public space that the public inhabits. As for the “Following Piece” it is another example of the boundary between public and private space. Each individual Acconci followed had their own private self-bubble that is the surrounding they perceive, as well as, where they are going or what they are doing. As the artist followed them and supervised their every move he automatically invaded their private bubble in a public area. In this piece Acconci also gives up control of the outcome of the piece, because he cannot control that person he is following or what they may do. His space and time are also taken up by the individuals he follows, because he’s immersing himself into a larger theme as opposed to focusing solely on himself.
- Analyze the relationship between sexuality, violence and the body as evidenced in some of his works like Prying, Openings etc (quote others)?
In almost every piece Acconci approaches his short film with a theme of sexuality, violence and some aspect of the body. In “Prying” when he forcibly tries to open the woman’s eyes, his real aim is to make her come out in the open. This may be his symbolism for the fact that as humans we force our bodies to act in certain ways or in certain behaviors. The violence is also very noticeable as he struggles with the woman to open her eyes. In pieces such as “Open” and “Close” Acconci experiments with the sexual parts of his body in order to explore the theme of openings and closures. I feel as though this piece was more for his amusement and understanding, more than for the audience, because he is the one really exploring the notion of openings and closures we don’t receive much insight on the hidden purpose of the piece.
