Abstract
This article aims to compare the physical and virtual performance embodied in the anti-war campaign Black Ribbon and Women in Black performances, and Hollywood actresses’ gowns at the prestigious award event, supporting the #MeToo campaign, as well as to prove that, except for the black color permeating them all, significant difference in the success of these performances is caused not only by technological advancement, but also by the circumstances and the context they take place in. The idea is to analyze in chronological review, using literature and archival material, the symbolism of the color black in performances connecting antiwar activists, citizens, the non-governmental sector and the film industry.
 The article will deal with the motives behind the narratives of the mentioned actions, as well as the scope of these performances, from stopping a war, punishment of war criminals, to prosecution for years of sexual harassment of women. It will stress the importance of the constant fight against the culture of impunity in different areas, and the importance of the contribution of technological development during the past 30 years, for moving the above-mentioned ‘black color’ performances, from the real to the virtual world. Here, this shift will be symbolized by space-restricted performances ranging from mass street protest marches to #MeToo.
 
 Article received: December 30, 2018; Article accepted: January 31, 2019; Published online: April 15, 2019; Review article
 How to cite this article: Mirković, Saša. "Physical and Virtual Performance: From The Black Ribbon, The Women in Black, to the Film Industry." AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 18 (2019): 129−140. doi: 10.25038/am.v0i18.292
Highlights
The article will deal with the motives behind the narratives of the mentioned actions, as well as the scope of these performances, from stopping a war, punishment of war criminals, to prosecution for years of sexual harassment of women
This article aims to compare the physical and virtual performance embodied in the anti-war campaign Black Ribbon and Women in Black performances, and Hollywood actresses’ gowns at the prestigious award event, supporting the #MeToo campaign, as well as to prove that, except for the black color permeating them all, significant difference in the success of these performances is caused by technological advancement, and by the circumstances and the context they take place in
It will stress the importance of the constant fight against the culture of impunity in different areas, and the importance of the contribution of technological development during the past 30 years, for moving the above-mentioned ‘black color’ performances, from the real to the virtual world
Summary
This kind of negative ‘black’ conotation characterizes the tragic events that took place in the early 1990s in the former Yugoslavia. The bloody disintegration of the country resulted in the death of approximately 140,000 civilian casualties and soldiers, ethnic cleansing, destruction of cities and villages, and the emergence of new states on the territory of the former common state, which, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, resulted in as many as 2.4 million refugees and approximately 2 million internally displaced persons.5 In those years, the black ribbon became an integral part of everyday life and it should not be surprising that its symbolism was precisely the backbone of one of the biggest peacemaking performances in the organization of the civil sector at the very center of Belgrade at the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina that began in March 1992.6 It is not by chance that this segment of society had organized such a massive performance, based on the values and social activism of a large number of individuals involved in public affairs for the benefit of the entire community. In the Dictionary of Contemporary Art [Pojmovnik suvremene umjetnosti] Miodrag Šuvaković characterizes this performance as “directed or not-directed event, founded as art work which is performed by the artists or performators in front of an audience.” According to Šuvaković, the criteria for classification of performances are connected to: “[...] a) place where it is performed b) authors and performers c) situation d) media e) type of activity.” Having this classification in mind, we come to the conclusion that Black Ribbon is an example of the non-artistic practice of performance, which particularity and disability for categorization is based on the fact that it was a spontaneous and non-directed event which exceptionality was based on mass participation and the spontaneity of the participants whose reactions couldn’t be forseen by the organizers, but were chanalized on the spot, in real time, of the performance
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