Performing Art Activism Post 7

 Chapter 4 – Culture / Idea

“Culture shapes how we see identity, power, and belonging.”

This idea shows that culture influences how people understand themselves and others. It connects to activist art because artists can challenge harmful cultural ideas and create new ways of thinking about identity and community.

Inspiration from Shaun Leonardo

Leonardo’s work focuses on identity, masculinity, and how society treats Black and Brown bodies. His performances are participatory and use movement and the body to explore power and inequality. 

Performance Art Piece: “Seen / Unseen”

Concept:

This performance explores how society makes certain people visible or invisible based on race, culture, and stereotypes. It is inspired by how Shaun Leonardo uses the body and audience participation to address identity and power.

Instructions for Performance:

Setting:

• A large open space (classroom or public area)
• One spotlight in the center
• Audience stands around the performer in a circle

Step-by-Step Performance

1. Beginning (Silence – 1 minute):
   The performer stands still in the spotlight, facing forward, not moving or speaking.
2. Labeling (Audience Participation):
   Audience members are given sticky notes and asked to write one word that describes how society labels people (examples: “strong” “dangerous” “invisible” “different” etc… words that causes people to lose confidence in themselves).
   They walk up and place the notes on the performer’s body.
3. Movement Phase:
   As more labels are added, the performer begins to move slower and more restricted, showing how labels can control identity. 
4. Breaking Point:
   The performer stops and slowly removes the labels one by one, reading them out loud.
5. Final Action (Audience Involvement):
   The performer invites the audience to take a label off and replace it with a new word that represents how people should be seen ( “human,” “equal,” “free” “brave” “powerful” etc… to give someone the power to have all their confidences back.)

 

Short Script (Spoken Lines)

Performer: (Dramatic opening performer stay quite for a min.)

• “This is what they see.”
• “This is what I keep inside.”
• “This is what I am told to be.”

(After removing labels)

• “But that’s not me”

(Final line):

• “See me, because now I’m seen.”

 

Audience Participation

• Writing and placing labels
• Physically interacting with the performer
• Replacing negative labels with positive ones
• Reflecting on their own assumptions

 

Issues Addressed

• Racial stereotypes and identity
• Cultural expectations of masculinity
• Visibility vs. invisibility in society
• Power of labeling and perception

 

Explanation

This performance connects to Chapter 4 by showing how culture shapes identity and how those ideas can be challenged. Like Shaun Leonardo’s work, it uses the body, audience interaction, and simple actions to create a powerful message about inequality and representation.

 

Chapter 4: Culture

Quote 1:

“Culture is… the system of meanings that allows us to understand our world.”

This quote shows that culture shapes how we think and see everything around us. I think this is important because it explains why people from different cultures can see the same situation in completely different ways.

 

Hispanic Executive: Performance, Pedagogy, and Philosophy

Quote 2:

“Without it we wouldn’t know who or what we are.”

This means culture helps form our identity. I agree with this because things like language, traditions, and values all come from culture and influence who we become.

 

 

Quote 1:

“The workshop, the platform of teaching and learning, is… the performance.” 

This quote shows that for Shaun Leonardo, teaching and art are connected. I think this is interesting because it means performance art is not just something you watch—it can happen through learning and interacting with others.

 

Quote 2:

“Artists need to… process… and create things… impactful to the spirit.” 

This quote explains that artists don’t just react quickly—they take time to think deeply. I think this is important because it shows that meaningful art comes from reflection, not just immediate action, especially when dealing with serious social issues.