The Contingency and Fiction of Performance Art Documentation:

Abstract

This article considers the contingency of performance art documentation: how an accidentally acquired image or deliberately created documentation influences one’s memory of performance art events and creates a fictional action that exists only in one’s imagination. This phenomenon is illustrated with examples of widely known, iconic performances as well as primary sources, such as interviews with artists and documentalists. Consideration and analysis of whether technological improvements change the contingent and fictional nature of documentation are also included. Finally, the article analyzes the problem from both the perspective of a researcher, as well as an experienced individual who has documented hundreds of performance art pieces.