The 20th century expanded the definition of art could be, among the new possibilities was that art could be an experience. The following artists created multi-sensory experiences for their audiences that subverted traditional notions of space and time.
German artist Joseph Beuys “sought to rehumanize both art and life by drastically narrowing the gap between the two”(455). Being that Beuys was a Fluxus artist, it was not long until his art turned into performance. Beuys believed that there was no point in performing if he could not shock his audience and in 1974, he certainly did. In his performance piece, I Like America, and America Likes Me, Beuys spent the week with a wild coyote in a Manhattan apartment. As Beuys believed in the link between art and life, as was …show more content…
Unlike other Earth sculptures, Lightning Field is not a work of art that can be viewed at any time. As it’s name would suggest Lightning Field is a literal lightning field comprised of 400 stainless steel poles with stainless steel tips in an evenly spaced grid. De Maria chose this particular spot in New Mexico because of its “magnificent, almost limitless vistas and exceptionally sparse human population, but also for its frequent incidence of atmospheric electricity…[creating] a prime opportunity to create a work that would involve both earth and sky” (598). Lightning Field still stands although “few have ever been eyewitnesses to [the event] in full performance” (598) meaning that like Schneemann and Beuys, the best way to view the full effects of Lightning Field is to view the photographic documentation. However, there is something to be said about being able to view such an incredible natural phenomenon, if you are so lucky. Although Lightning Field is able to be viewed at any time (albeit over a 24 hour period), it is nearly as uncommonly seen as Schneemann and Beuys performances because of the amount of variables
German artist Joseph Beuys “sought to rehumanize both art and life by drastically narrowing the gap between the two”(455). Being that Beuys was a Fluxus artist, it was not long until his art turned into performance. Beuys believed that there was no point in performing if he could not shock his audience and in 1974, he certainly did. In his performance piece, I Like America, and America Likes Me, Beuys spent the week with a wild coyote in a Manhattan apartment. As Beuys believed in the link between art and life, as was …show more content…
Unlike other Earth sculptures, Lightning Field is not a work of art that can be viewed at any time. As it’s name would suggest Lightning Field is a literal lightning field comprised of 400 stainless steel poles with stainless steel tips in an evenly spaced grid. De Maria chose this particular spot in New Mexico because of its “magnificent, almost limitless vistas and exceptionally sparse human population, but also for its frequent incidence of atmospheric electricity…[creating] a prime opportunity to create a work that would involve both earth and sky” (598). Lightning Field still stands although “few have ever been eyewitnesses to [the event] in full performance” (598) meaning that like Schneemann and Beuys, the best way to view the full effects of Lightning Field is to view the photographic documentation. However, there is something to be said about being able to view such an incredible natural phenomenon, if you are so lucky. Although Lightning Field is able to be viewed at any time (albeit over a 24 hour period), it is nearly as uncommonly seen as Schneemann and Beuys performances because of the amount of variables