Existere & Documenting Performance Art

When photography and film fail to capture the live moment in performance, how can it be documented? What are the consequences of choosing non-visual documentation on the authorship of the artwork, on maintaining a legacy that reflects the artist's practice, and on the control the artist has over this?

London artist collective JocJonJosch negotiated these issues around Existere, a project in which they worked with naked volunteers to create a living performance sculpture in July 2011. The panel includes Jo Melvin, art historian, curator and lecturer, David Gothard, director and former artistic director of Riverside Studios, poet John James and Rye Holmboe, PhD candidate and writer respond in conversation to Existere and the issues of documenting performance art without images. A publication on the Existere body of work will be launched. 

This event is initiated by the ICA's Student Forum. To see JocJonJosch's work, click here to see their portfolio.