My research question is about the possibility of proposing ephemeral art pieces to be comissioned in comissions with a more substantial budget. Mainly, focusing comissions such as the Percent for art (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percent_for_art). When I presented my study case, some points of the discussion had inspired me to think further about the challenges on how to present this art piece to be commissioned in this context.

Duration of the piece: if the artist stayed sited at the same place everyday, at some point the performance would become part of the local culture, if you wanted to share a love story, or if you heard a great love story and feel you should share with someone, maybe you would go there. In this sense, present a proposal for just one exhibition could compromise the value and impact the commission would see in approve my proposal. In the other hand, I could not imagine the same artist being there everyday for years. My proposition would be to hire a person, artist or not, as a regular employee to be there in the chosen place for few hours everyday, maybe more than one person, it depends the amount of the commission and the negotiation with the artist that created the piece.

Why not be in a festival or search for other fund that is for traditional performing arts: in relation to this question, I remembered the case of the living statues, they go everyday to perform in the same place, and thought that if I pitched the performance within the frame of a living statue, maybe people would understand the difference between this particular proposition and the participation in a temporary festival or few actions at specific dates.

The follow question remains without answer: How to present the project it in a way that other people could see the value of this specific kind of art in public space?

Just the Beginning

Reveries: In the last meeting about my project proposal, I received some suggestions to improve my relation with the community surrounding me and reflecting in ways that I could activate something that are conected with this socialscape. So, I thought I could organize an exhibition of this art piece in the Kerry Ring, because people are coming from all around the world to walk here, and I believe it would be a remarkable performance to run into during their route.

Talking with the artist she told me that she considered this artwork an action and not a performance, and that she had in her website the score for anyone that wanted to follow it in a public space.

 

   LISTENING TO LOVE STORIES (score)

  1. With two collapsible chairs and a sign that reads I listen to love stories, choose a place where other human beings gather or pass by.
  2. Take two knitting needles and a red wool ball.
  3. Sit on one of the chairs, leaving the other one empty in front of you.
  4. Start to knit a twenty-centimeter-wide strip.
  5. Wait until someone wishes to tell you his or her love story.
  6. Listen.
  7. Don’t record or take notes of the stories.
  8. Never tell them.
  9. Forget them.
 
So I decided to do it, sited at the porch of the house:

Click here