During my Fine Arts degree studying at the University of Newcastle, in September 2014, my friend, Manon and I collaborated and did a performance artwork together in two of the shop windows at NANA gallery, Newcastle.
Now you’re probably wondering “what is a performance artwork?”, so i’ll explain that first. In this particular instance, the artwork isn’t something static like a drawing, but an action; something that only exists within the time its created (it needs to be documented via photos if you want to see it again).
So what exactly was our action? Well, Manon and I are artists who both have our own individual styles, (she sews and I draw and write), in this artwork we wanted to show how the lifestyle of the artist can be as important as the finished works themselves. For a few days we went in and worked within the shop windows for the public to see.
Manon Marguerite and Jessica McLeod-Yu present: “Kamikaze Sisters – The Worlds of Two Girls Collide”
Inspired by the movie Kamikaze Girls, a story where two girls of different styles come together and become friends.
These two girls will install their artworks in two shop windows, one representing the artist’s atelier, and the other as a commercial public display. To exhibit not only the artworks produced by the artists, but also to present the idea of the artists’ image and lifestyle as a part of their discipline. Both of the artists work in different mediums and have their own individual aesthetics, yet they both work towards a common goal of creating their own brands.
The exhibition will be on display from the 23rd – 30th of September, 2014. On Thursday the 25th both Manon and Jessica will perform together within the Shop windows from 11am – 12pm
For me, this whole project was an experiment for university to learn new ways of identifying my Artist Persona and discovering new ways of presenting my art in a new spaces. The process was very tiring and time consuming, including preparation. I found that performance art was not something I wanted to persue, but it was good to try and collaborate with Manon. Looking back on it, I realise how formative those early years were to my artist persona and my art making practice. Even now, I live my life very intentionally as a form of artistic expression.
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