What to read after Performance Art in Practice?

Performance Art in practice – pedagogical approaches opens up a variety of philosophies that explore, explain and challenge Performance art and introduces a range of practices used in higher level education.

The book is a collection of nine independent essays. All the writers have several years of practice as artists, curators, teachers, professors, researchers and in establishing performance art education in Finland. The essays explain, challenge and deconstruct performance art from various angles: the body as a tool and a base of identity, self as material, pedagogic acts of dissidence, challenging societal questions without politicing art, building sustainable artwork based on emotions, intuition and research, using Fluxus scores in contemporary practices etc. are all topics dealt by the writers of Performance Art in practice – pedagogical approaches.

The essays are written from a practical point of view: how do we concretely teach performance art, why have we chosen these ways and what are the outcomes. Teaching the experimental art form, that doesn’t wear a uniform and relies on ever changing time and space isn’t all evident. Deconstructing performance art and reconstructing pedagogy springs out ideas that are relevant also elsewhere in the contemporary society.

The book challenges art school institutions: Individuality bound to collegiality, fruitful dialogue that bases on trust and sharing with a sociologically and politically challenging curricula come out in texts written by Aapo Korkeaoja, Eero Yli-Vakkuri, Jussi Matilainen, Pia Lindy and Tuomas Laitinen that refer to the remote countryside campus of SAMK Kankaanpää school of art. More urban perspective with philosophies, research interests and pedagogic practices at The University of Arts Helsinki are opened up by Tero Nauha, Annette Arlander, Pilvi Porkola and Leena Kela in their essays.