WFF_encyclopaedia_of_performanceart_ENGLISH - florian feigl ...

An Encyclopaedia of Performance Artwagner–feigl–forschung/researchThe ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF PERFORMANCE ART is not another History of PerformanceArt. Its empirical and utterly materialist approach aims towards a complete and systematicoverview of the materials and practices of performance art, as well as action and itsspecial qualities within performance art.The analytical approach on a ‘molecular’ level – emphasizing each singularmaterial/action being used – is developed into a systematic catalogue that shows thesingular element in its relationships with every other element in the catalogue. Besides thecomplete list and mere overview on material and action, THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OFPERFORMANCE ART aims towards a three-dimensional map that offers a deeperunderstanding of the ever-increasing complexity of a singular material and/or actionwithin the field of performance arts. The fact that potentially every material, tool, ‘thing’one could imagine, and the different ways of behaviour and uses of it, will (at leastpossibly) appear in the Encyclopaedia shows the wide horizon of the project: it will be nomore or less than a catalogue of the world, its use and possibilities.(Manifesto by Wagner-Feigl-Forschung/Research © 2001)the materials and practices ofperformance artSomebody is standing in an empty space,holding a tomato in their right hand. The personstarts squeezing the tomato. Tomato juice dripsthrough their fingers onto the floor. Finally theperformer drops the leftovers of the squashedtomato onto the floor. What kind of tomato wasit that was squeezed and turned into tomatojuice and pulped tomato? Let’s say it was a plumtomato. A plum tomato is different from a vinetomato but is still a tomato. Tomatoes belong tothe family of nightshades (solanaecea), whichincludes both poisonous plants and edibleplants or vegetables such as eggplants, peppersand potatoes. Tomatoes are vegetables amongother families of vegetables, such as leafvegetables (brassica). Vegetables can beconsidered as a single group summarized underthe heading of solid vegetable productsincluding cereals, fruits and nuts, which differfor example from fluid vegetable products likejuices and oils, or milled vegetable products likeflours or spices. All these vegetable products aredifferentiated from, for example, animalproducts. But all together they are again part ofa possible grouping under the category ‘food’,which is grouped together with, for example,living organisms, a sub-section of organicnatural materials. This again can be groupedPerformance Research 11(2), pp.58–66 © Taylor & Francis Ltd 2006DOI: 10.1080/1352816060081058258

Encycolpedia of Performance Arttogether with non-organic materials such asstone, water, air, which are part of a largersection of natural materials. The line leads up tothe category ‘materials’ – materials ofperformance art.The example of the tomato, chosen from animmense range of possible materials ofperformance art, shows that a singular materialcan be seen as a product of a very complexprocess of possible differentiation. But evenwith the suggested systematic description ofour example, we are still far from an in-depthunderstanding of the tomato in performanceart. For sure it was not the first and only tomatoto be used in performance art. Imagine acomplete list of tomatoes being used inperformances. One of the results of thedescribed performance is the tomato juice,which is produced when the tomato is squeezed.Imagine a complete collection of tomato juicesbeing used in performances – hand-made ones inthe process of a performance as described aboveor industrially produced juices out of a can or acardboard box, spiced, salted, natural and all thedifferent brands. Imagine tomato products inperformances, like cans of chopped tomatoes ortomatoes in chunks, ketchup, Bolognaise sauce,tuna fish in tomato sauce and pizzas. Imaginetomato-shaped egg timers and hexagonal glassreceptacles with tomato-shaped plastic twist-offlidsbeing used in performances. Going stillanother step further, imagine a complete list of‘tomato and . . .’ in performance art: tomato andhammer, . . . and hamster, . . . and keys, . . . andknives. So far we are still on the level of thetomato and tomato-related material. Let’s makea shift: what about the different possible uses oftomatoes in performance? In order to produce astill broader understanding of tomato andtomato-related materials in performance art, weshould take a closer look at the possible ways ofusing tomatoes and tomato-related materials.The performer in the described performancesqueezed the tomato. But tomatoes inperformances have been thrown, stepped on, cutinto pieces, cooked, drunk as part of a BloodyMary or been eaten as part of a hamburger withtomato ketchup, used to set time frames astomato-shaped egg-timers or contained needlesas hexagonal glass-receptacles with tomatoshapedplastic twist-off-lids. And all the impliedsituations, activities and practices stand incross- and counter-reference to a massivenumber of possible other materials andpractices which by themselves as well might bethought of within a systematic organization asdescribed above. From many points of view suchattempts at classification might seem eithermanic or a bit naïve: a tomato is a tomato andthis one is squeezed. So what?Wagner–Feigl–Forschung/ Research argues thatthis approach might be seen as a possibledescription of artistic processes as we knowthem from our own practice and throughexchange with other performance artists. Itdemonstrates how a singular materialpotentially contains the world:a can of tuna in tomato sauce of courseimplies deep sea fishing, fishing laws, death ofdolphins, ecological destruction as well asfamily values – for example a grandmother’sspecial tuna sauce. From our point of view itmight be described as one of the genuine valuesof performance art to have opened up a means ofunderstanding the rich implications ofmaterials and their possible uses. To catch up inpractice and research with such a complex andhighly differentiated artistic approach, specifictools and practices need to be developed. ‘TheEncyclopaedia of Performance Art’ can be seen aunique tool for such an in-depth understandingof performance art.In the following paragraphs an overview willbe given of how ‘The Encyclopaedia ofPerformance Art’ is structured and how itworks. Along with a description of the differentsections of it – the centre-pieces ‘Materials’ and‘Practices’, and the supplements called‘Expansion’, ‘Dimension’, ‘Context’ and‘Recreations’ – some rather general questionsconcerning our approach as artists andresearchers will be sketched out and the actual59

state of the research ofWagner–Feigl–Forschung/Research will bedescribed.the ‘encyclopaedia ofperformance art’When deciding how to organize a systematicoverview of the material of performance art, awide variety of possible approaches offerthemselves. We could have decided to organizethe material alphabetically, or according to itsphysical states or according to its colour. Asperformance artists we decided to choose apractical approach in close correspondence toour own artistic practices when dealing withsuch questions. We conduct case studies, sumup results in monographs about singlematerials, write essays about broader relationsbetween different materials. Conducting ourresearch from within the practice ofperformance art, led to a mix of differentsystems of possible organization. Indeed theinsight keeps growing that when dealing with ahybrid and border-crossing art form anysystematic organization demands theunification of various systems of organization.The knowledge that the tomato stands,botanically speaking, closer to the eggplant andpotato than to the peach is important. But theanalogy between tomato and peach in theirphysical state and possible use in a performanceas well should be acknowledged. The interdependenciesbetween different ways ofsystematic organization and possible resultskeep growing with the ongoing process ofresearch. As the most promising and accessibleapproach for describing the state of ourresearch, we chose a general systematicorganization that follows the rules of scientificresearch from different fields, and rules ofcommon sense. (Though ‘common sense’ is avery problematic term – just take thegrasshopper as a material of performance art:should it be listed as an insect or as food?)For a better understanding of the followingdescriptions, it should be mentioned here thatthe Encyclopaedia of Performance Art ispublished in the form of both print and/orsupplementary digital media. The means ofpublication is inevitably determined by the vastamount of systematically organized data thatthe Encyclopaedia contains. We use the generalterm ‘volumes’ to refer to both print and digitalmedia. This in no way precludes other mediasolutions that may offer a more concise andsuitable means of publication in the future.But let’s return to the tomato. The tomatowould be represented in our general systematicorganization as follows:MATERIALS) natural materialsα natural materials, organicI. living organisms•••IX. food§1 animal products•••§2 vegetable productspar.1 vegetable products, consistentA. cereals•••F. vegetables•••h. leaf vegetables (brassica)•••k. nightshades (solanaceae)Nr.1 egg plant•••Nr.5 tomatoNr.5.1 cocktail tomatoNr.5.2 plum tomatoNr.5.3 beef tomatoNr.5.4 vine tomatoWagner–Feigl–Forschung/Research60

Encycolpedia of Performance ArtThis way of representing a singular materialof performance art has various advantages. Itshows how each object is already embedded inthe immense context of the material world andimplies very complex processes of differentiation.Thus it identifies the special qualities(it is a tomato and not an orange) and dynamics(the tomato can be squeezed, thus producingtomato juice – in opposition to squeezing astone, for example) inherent in each singularobject or material. On the other hand thismethod of organization in no way precludes theother necessary tool of a true encyclopaedia: theAlphabetical Index (which will be contained in adifferent set of volumes from the systematiccontents). As each level of differentiation bearsin front a different character, sign or number,the tomato can be represented as well as thematerial with the cipher: ) α IX. §2 par.1 F. k.Nr.5. (1.–4.). (The numbers in brackets show howmany types of tomatoes are listed. Thus torepresent the plum tomato, a plain Arabicnumeral 3 refers to the specified type of tomatois used). As each character, sign or numberstands for another step in the process of differentiation,the representation of materials ascipher codes creates an immediate awareness,when looking them up in the Alphabetical Index,of the highly complex relationships inherent ina specific material. Besides the obviouspossibility of locating a singular material in thesystematic overview, it allows the experienceduser to get a quick overview of related materialsas well.In the separate Alphabetical Index volumes(see right) the different graphic representationsin bold print (referring to the location in the listof material) and light print (referring to furthermaterial involving the special aspect of thelooked-up material) allow the experienced userto detect through the cipher code that anotherlisted material implies a special aspect butdiffers on significant levels. Taking the tomatoshapedegg-timer for example (see cipher: b λXI. §4 par.17 C. e. Nr.5.1.9) one learns throughthe very first cipher: b – Hebraic Beth, the mostALPHABETICAL INDEX MATERIAL(SCHEMATIC EXCERPT)(...)tobacco(...)toboggan(...)toffee(...)toga(...)toggle(...)toggle switch(...)toilet(...)toilet bag(...)toilet paper(...)toilet powder(...)toilet soap(...)toilet table(...)token(...)tomahawk(...)tomato) α IX. §2 par.1F. k. Nr.5.(1.-4.)(...)b λ XI. §4 par.17C. e/ Nr.5.1.9.b λ VII. §3 par.2E. b. Nr.8.11.(...)b λ XVIII. §3par 5. B. Nr.4.1.(...)tombstone(...)tome(...)tommy(...)tommy gun(...)tom-tom(...)tongs(...)tool(...)tool bag(...)toolbox(...)toothbrush(...)toothpaste(...)top(...)top boot(...)topcoat(...)topi(...)top kick knot(...)torch(...)tortilla(...)61

asic differentiation, that it must be somethingvery different from the tomato that wasoriginally looked up, yet still related by a characteristictomato-like aspect. On looking up thetomato-shaped egg timer in the systematicoverview, the researcher is lead to the group ofegg timers being used in performance art, whichof course have an entry of their own in theAlphabetical Index. Among the egg timers thecipher ‘tomato-shaped egg timer’ would appearin bold print as it is one object among othersbearing the main aspect and the first-levelqualities being looked up. But the AlphabeticalIndex offers still one more level of interrelationshipsbeing represented: the italicizednotation shows the location of an image thatrefers to the looked-up material. Already withinthe systematic entries, images of selectedmaterial appear wherever space allows. Fulldocumentation is supplied in the section‘Expansion’, which will be described below. Thepractices of performance art bring up a numberof specific questions of principle. Some of themwill be described in the following paragraph togive an insight into their possible systematicorganization.In considering practices of performance art,Wagner–Feigl–Forschung/ Research chose ananthropocentric point of view: every practicebeing carried out and/or being received by aperformer in a performance will be considered.This implies that at least on the basic level ofresearch we do not differentiate betweenactively conducting or passively receiving anaction. When becoming more specific, though,we definitely should draw this distinction. Thisillustrates a quite basic problem when startingto think about the systematic organization ofthe practices of performance art: the correctterminology. Using the term ‘action’ connotes anactivity within a performance. This might bemisleading, as, for example, ‘receiving a slap inthe face’ seems to contradict the description asan activity. How should we name and thus marka specific quality of something that is done orreceived in a performance? To avoid falseexclusiveness and reach an overarchingapproach, we decided to use the term ‘practice ofperformance art’ as a very general description.Choosing an anthropocentric approach ofcourse means excluding a whole range of workwhich for very good reasons might well beconsidered part of performance art: puppet andmachine performance, video and internetperformances just to mention a few. Suchexamples of performance art will be representedin the ‘Essays’ section described below.Another major differentiation that can bedrawn when organizing practices ofperformance art is to consider if a material,object or tool is involved. A whole set ofpractices such as to cut, to hammer, to write,imply that a knife, a hammer, a pen is involved.These sorts of practice are described mostexactly by the specific description of thematerial or tool being used. This approachillustrates the strong interrelationship betweenthe systematic organization of practice and thematerial. Another important aspect isinterpretation. Wagner–Feigl–Forschung/Research try to apply at all times empirical andmaterialist strategies of research and analysis.Interpretation should be as much as possible upto the user of the Encyclopaedia. Yet someinterpretative paradigms of description seem tobe inherent in the practices of performance art.Regarding duration and qualities of time ‘tohave a nap’ for example implies a relativelyshort duration in comparison to ‘to sleep’, whichimplies another dimension of time. Anotherintriguing field of study is to examine whetherthe use of categories such as ‘operative’, ‘iconic’or ‘absolute’ would be helpful in order todescribe the special quality of a specificpractice.the supplementsIn order to support and complete the systematicorganization of the materials and practicescontained in the ‘The Encyclopaedia ofPerformance Art’, there are volumes especiallydedicated to Time and Space as explicitWagner–Feigl–Forschung/Research62

4 Chris Burden (19November 1971) Shoot, F.Space, Santa Ana,California. Burden hadhis assistant shoot himin his arm. See ChrisBurden: DocumentationOf Selected Works1971–1974, USA, 1975 –Videotape, 35 Min.;Performance Anthology(1980) Source Book for aDecade of CaliforniaPerformance Art,Contemporary Arts Press,San Francisco.5 Niki de Saint Phalle(early 1960s) Tirs. SaintPhalle shot paint bombsfixed on assemblages(plaster reliefs andfigures) with a .22 calibreairgun. Niki de SaintPhalle called herself a‘terrorist of art’.6 Dick Higgins(1968–1998, unfinished)1,000 Symphonies.Higgins decided in 1968to compose 1,000symphonies, a projectunfinished at his death.As a means tocomposition, the artisthad blank musical scoresmachine-gunned, thentreated the holes andtears as notes.7 Yayoi Kusama (1968)Self-ObliterationHappening and NixonOrgy at Kusama’s Studio,New York. During theHappenings theparticipants stagedseveral tableaux vivantswith toy machineguns fordocumentation photos.8 Valie Export (1969)Genitalpanik, Munich.Wearing a black shirt andblack trousers, whichshowed her vagina,Export entered a porncinema in Munich. Shehad a machine gunhanging from hershoulder. She announcedto the audience that nowthere were real genitalsto see. I walked slowlythrough the rows ofseats. The gun wasaiming at the heads ofthe people seated in therow behind me. I wasconclusionBefore giving a resumé of the value of ‘TheEncyclopaedia of Performance-Art’, there aresome further points in need of clarification. Onefrequently asked question concerns theadvantages of the use of cipher codes, which areat first sight complicated or even mysterious.Wagner–Feigl–Forschung/Research argue that apurely alphabetical organization would tearmaterials out of their context (the plum tomatowould stand close to the plate but far fromtomato juice or canned tomatoes). But still onecould imagine the same systematic organizationusing only numbers instead of signs andcharacters from different alphabets. A simplenumber, or maybe a bar-code system, wouldallow researchers to use the Encyclopaedia verypractically like a catalogue, which might be ofuse for international correspondence: forexample if a Dutch artist is invited to do aperformance in Japan or Paraguay, one doesn’thave to bother with translations of the materialthe artist wants to use. Misunderstandings canbe avoided as everybody can refer to the exactmaterial an artist is using, or what exactly anartist plans to do [See for example the modelused by the OISTAT New Theatre Words: CentralEurope, Sttf (1998) Ed.] But we decideddifferently. The use of the cipher code shows atfirst sight, that each and every material, eachand every practice already has a widebackground and stands within a complexcontext. While a simple number or bar codesystem would encourage a rather simplisticapproach, it misses the broader aims of theEncyclopaedia and, above all, the implicitqualities of artistic processes within thepractice of performance art. We want to pointout that the naïve approach, or a decision to usesomething just because of a superficialsympathy or its splendid features, ignores theimplicit logic and aesthetic qualities of aspecific material or specific practice.Though it might seem contradictory, theEncyclopaedia’s systematic organization is anexpression of a massively contextualizingapproach towards performance art.Contradictory, because in the first step we gothrough minute processes of differentiation,which only then – on the molecular level – unveilthe complex intra- and inter-relationships so farresearched in the field of, and by and throughperformance art. These relationships weunderstand, as well in the historical dimension,as threads of traditions, which specificmaterials and practices developed within theperformance art. This means very concretelythat if one decides to use a tomato in aperformance, one has to acknowledge thattomatoes have already been used in any numberand modes of performances, which would meansurveying quite a number of contemporaryworks that apparently attempt to reinvent theworld. We want the Encyclopaedia to encouragea careful approach to research where the exactindividual intention, motivation and contextsof, for example, tomato-use in performance canbe made clear. We are in no way trying tosuggest that performances which utilize certainmaterials or practices cannot be reproducedbecause they have been done already.On the contrary we believe strongly inperformance art as a practice that continuallyneeds to (re)contextualize its materials andpractices and thus extend their specificcontemporary meanings and possibilities.Moreover we want to encourage an approachthat relieves certain iconographic performancesfrom their historical determination. Taking forexample the performance ‘Shoot’ by ChrisBurden where Burden was shot in the arm by anassistant (19 November 1971, F. Space, SantaAna, California). 4 The performance is widelyknown. Focusing on the extraordinaryradicalism of its time and its very singularqualities, it has been a subject of manypublications and it has become an icon ofperformance art. By focusing on formal aspectsas well as emphasizing its history and contextsas a specific performative practice, ‘Shoot’ canbe revived again and fed back into thecirculations of a contemporary performance artWagner–Feigl–Forschung/Research64

Encycolpedia of Performance Artpractice. The achievement of the ‘TheEncyclopaedia of Performance Art’ is to recontextualize‘Shoot’ through formal as well asaesthetic aspects (material: automatic weapon;performative practice: to shoot) within a widefield of performances with similar approaches:Nikki de Saint Phalle, 5 Dick Higgins, 6 YayoiKusama, 7 Valie Export, 8 Dieter Maier, 9 MarinaAbramovic, 10 Timm Ulrichs, 11 Ene-Liis Semper, 12Steven Cohen, 13 Francis Alys, 14 Roman Signer, 15Daniel Aschwanden 16 – just to mention a fewartists from the past forty years who wereshooting with guns in performances. And whodares to say that not every single one of themadded at least some very specific detail to adeeper understanding of automatic weaponsand the practice of shooting within performanceart and beyond?What we demand for artistic practice hascertain parallels in scientific and analyticalmethods. But common analytical approachesoften produce a selective and isolating focus onthe item of their research, which makes itpractically impossible to gain an understandingof performance art in all its complexity.Theoretical analysis often relates itself tocertain aspects or focuses on a few selectedperformances that are either extensivelydocumented or personally witnessed by thescholars. This is for various reasons: oftenperformances are reviewed and analysed,because a) they are well documented, and/or b)they are supported by aggressive strategies ofmarketing and publicity (for example thespectacular self-marketing of singular artistsand/or the investments of art producers with asense of trends), and/or c) they are benefitingfrom artist/scientist alliances, which grow outof friendship networks, and/or d) theoreticiansand scientists are referring to their own systemof references, which means that they arecopying each other. Another aspect of thisrepetitive reference towards the same selectedperformances is the exclusiveness of theory andanalysis. This principle of exclusiveness showsoff on three different levels: a) exclusive selflimitationon few mediated performances (forart-historical reasons or because of certaintrends), b) exclusive discussion of exclusivelyseen performances, and c) exclusive mediation(secret sciences for the initiated). In oppositionto such approaches, ‘The Encyclopaedia ofPerformance Art’ aims at a complete collectionof all performances ever performed.’The Encyclopaedia of Performance Art’ is notjudgmental in the sense of creating simplevalues or hierarchies. All events from the field ofperformance art are annotated and documented.And through an empirical approach these eventsstand – beyond their rights as singularperformances – in context and relationship withall other events, which are part of performancehistory, its present and future. At the same timeit is this field of structurally (and on the level ofthe aesthetics of materials and practices)interwoven performances itself that, on the onehand, produces the Encyclopaedia and, on theother, creates ever new contexts and ever morerelationships, which undermine a simplistic coordinationand hierarchy of differences. Thus itundermines processes that intend – consciouslyor unconsciously – nothing less than to controlperformance art on the levels of economy,politics and ideology. Processes, which crippleperformance art, make for deadening events anddeny the creative forces of discovery, the onsetof innovation and the creative potentials ofconflict inherent in each and every material andpractice of performance art.Thus the Encyclopaedia has to be understoodas an attempt to return to performance art itsown unique and creative language. ‘TheEncyclopaedia of Performance Art’ with itsdescription of the materials and practices ofperformance art and, as such, of the materialworld itself, allows the gathered and systematicallyorganized data to reverberate and thusmakes the material world the real, everexpandingEncyclopaedia. Through the ongoingactivity of the performance artist, engaged inthe materials and practices of performance art,further potential meanings, contexts andscared and had no ideahow people would react.When I walked throughthe rows, people weregetting up one after theother and leaving thecinema. (Valie Export)9 Dieter Maier (23February 1971) This ManWill Not Shoot, New YorkCultural Center.Maier stood in front ofthe New York CulturalCenter with a gun in hishand. On the floor infront of him there was asign saying ‘This ManWill Not Shoot’.10 Marina Abramovic(1974) Rhythm O, Naples.Abramovic invited heraudience to do whateverthey wanted to her, usingany of the 72 items sheprovided: blue colour,comb, bell, whip, lipstick,penknife, fork, perfume,spoon, cotton, flowers,matches, rose, candle,water, scarf, mirror,glass, Polaroid camera,leather, chains, nails,needle, safety pin, hair,pin, brush, bandage, redcolour, white colour,scissors, pen, book, hat,handkerchief, whitepaper, kitchen knife,hammer, saw, a piece ofwood, axe, stick, lambbones, newspaper, bread,wine, honey, salt, sugar,soap, cake, metal pipe,scalpel, metal spike,blade, bowl, plaster,alcohol, medal, coat,shoes, chair, leatherstrings, thread, cable,phosphorus, grape, oliveoil, rosemary twig, loadedpistol.11 Timm Ulrichs (1978)Das getroffene Bild, dasbetroffene Ich, BremenPerformance. See TimmUlrichs (1980) Totalkunst(Catalogue), StädtischeGalerie Lüdenscheid.12 Ene-Liis Semper (1998)FF/Rew (FastForward/Rewind), Estonia. Videoperformance, b/w, 17minutes. Three times in arow, a young womancommits suicide. She65

hangs herself, she shootsherself, then she hangsherself again. The videois re-wound and thewoman comes to lifeagain only to repeat hersuicides.13 Steven Cohen/Elu(1999) Intersection,Johannesburg. Welcometo Kill City: motorists inJohannesburg weretreated to a glimpse ofart by Elu, dressed in atyre tutu, wearing hornsand with a gun stuck tohis head, dancing acrossa road on Fridaymorning.14 Francis Alys (2001) Reenactment,Mexico City.Followed by a friend witha video camera, Alyswalked with a gunthrough the centre ofMexico City until he wasarrested by the police(after 12 minutes). On thefollowing day he recreatedthe performance.The policemen playedthemselves. See(2002–2003) ‘MexicoCity: Eine Ausstellungüber die Wechselkursevon Körpern und Werten’,Berlin: Kunst-Werke; and(2004) ‘legal/illegal’:Wenn Kunst Gesetzebricht/Art beyond Law(Ausstellungskatalog),Berlin: NGBK andStuttgart: SchmetterlingVerlag.15 Roman Signer (2002)Aktion mit 15 Fässern,Brixen. Like in ashooting gallery at afairground, Signer shotat fifteen blue metalbarrels, filled with water.The water splashed out ofthe bullet holes creatinga fountain.16 Daniel Aschwanden(2004) in Pretty PublicPrivacy, Vienna, Munich.Performance byBilderwerfer. During theperformanceAschwanden, wearing apig-mask, pointed a toygun to his head for about50 minutes.Performance Art, focusing on information andglobal perspectives – as it is presented in themillennium project of THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OFPERFORMANCE ART – changes the world’soutlook and values. It renders already today, bymethods of intellect, the primary tools and culturalequipment with which to solve the problems of thefuture.We should never forget the importance of ourinherent curiosity and of our craving for knowledge:the desire to know more, to improve ourunderstanding, to research. Performance Art ismentally fulfilling to human beings, as it is notunnatural but an expression of nature within us andthrough us. It extends our world of experience andthus our horizon of consciousness, which meansthat it gives us a new and completeself-understanding within the plan of creation.This change of consciousness – as enabled by THEENCYCLOPAEDIA OF PERFORMANCE ART thatallows people to look at the world with an alterednotion of reality and a new perception of allmaterials, practices and contexts – is caused by thecomplex concert of unique new elements ofexperience. In the long run the Encyclopaedia, withits ethics of adventure and exploration, will establishimpulses towards a change of consciousness and ofterminology. The humanist potential of thistransformation alone makes it a meaningful project.The project of THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OFPERFOMANCE ART – through its global field ofoperation – strengthens the self-consciousness ofall performance artists so that they can form atrans-national companionship. It backs the creativeforces of people through new orientation andthrough an onset of discovery and innovation. Itsperspectives will allow us by and by to overcome theconfines of isolation/individualism, collectivism,racism and nationalism and thus to enlarge theintellectual terminologies and objectives of separatepeople at first, then of societies and in the end of allpeople.(Original text by Jesco von Puttkamer, slightlyadapted by Wagner-Feigl-Forschung/ Research)implications are added. Thus performance artcan be regarded as a door to worlds beyond theworld. Speaking in less utopian terms, there areat least some good reasons to see performanceart as a truly universal science of the world.For further in formation on ‘TheEncyclopaedia of Performance Art’ pleasecontact:Wagner–Feigl–Forschung/Researche-mail: florianfeigl@alice-dsl.de and/orotmarwagner@freenet.deWagner–Feigl–Forschung/Research66