Reading #5: Coco Fusco (identity): The Other History of Intercultural Performance

Dealing with a self and cultural identity in colonialist world is a weary journey. As I read the ‘A Report to an Academy’ from Franz Kafka and Fusco’s ‘The Other History of Intercultural Performance’ I come to a conclusion that: only ourselves, our own power can free ourselves from the past. Sometimes we need to distance, be silent and only watch our environment to hear and see more, just like Fusco watched audiences from the other side of the bards in “The Couple in The Cage” performance. It is an important act not to forget origins, roots and history in a politically ruled world. The Imperialist, Western concepts are taken as a metaphoric case for the cage exhibition by performance artists Guillermo Gómez-Peña and Coco Fusco. A “reserve ethnography” of the cage experience is a radical decision that meant to critique on political, racial concepts. However, the cage ideology instead became an entertainment for this post colonialist society. It has also created sexual challenges of men and women towards the performance artists. A horrific detail is that women were much physically abusive where men being verbally. This exhibition played a role of a black screen/mirror where audiences were presented their own identities. A reverse ethnographic exhibition stimulated the natural actions. It is abnormal situation which need a further survey because which reasons (silent, cage, guards, performances) encouraged and triggered people to act in this sickening way. In what cases conclusion can be changed?

Over time more performance helped Fusco to concentrate more on audiences and their reactions instead of feeling down during the performance. It was a beneficial act for her further self-development. It holds similarities with I exhibiting my work front of “others”. The more I exhibit, express my ideas and work, I become more concentrated towards the work.

Bibliography:

‘The Other History of Intercultural Performance’ by Coco Fusco TDR (1988-), Vol.38, No.1. (Spring,1994). pp.143-167.

Franz Kafka- A report to an academy http://www.kafka-online.info/a-report-for-an-academy.html

Website:

http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-couple-in-the-cage/

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/v/visual-ethnography

http://cocofusco.com/