Performance C 2012 (video view)

(Live views in Fotanian Open Studios 2012)
Dimension Variable, Performance
2012

Performance C was a live performance by Rental United in Fotanian Open Studios 2012. It is an “Artists as janitor” performance, in which artists dressed in suits performed “cleaning acts” during the event. In this piece, artists’ presence serves as the hub between the venues, organisers, and audiences.

Rental United again renovated its studio into a white-cube space. They dressed in suits and presented as “janitors”, with a guest musician transforming their studio into a stage. The guest musician would play random sounds, and RU members cleaned the space simultaneously.

While a constant flux of audience kept stepping into the studio space, they also brought in all the dirt and dust from outside; combined with RU members’ cleaning acts (with water and mops), this made the entire process an endless loop, as the artists were removing dirt, and newly joining audiences would bring in new dirt.  This made this “cleaning” action from a goal-oriented task into an open-ended frustration.

In this piece, Rental United attempted to force the audience to participate in their work. Audiences had little choice: once they stepped into the studio space, they immediately became part of the piece.