Is a catwalk show a form of performance art? Mara James

Is a catwalk show a form of performance art?

Mara James Upper Sixth

Alexander McQueen - Spring 1999

Ginger Gregg Duggan suggests that “the show can also be used to raise awareness boundary between the two worlds of about an issue, or to explore current topics art and fashion was creatively blurred” in society. Throughout this essay I am throughout the 19th century (Duggan, going to explore the connections between 2015, p. 243). Through researching into performance art and catwalks, including fashion designers and having developed their purpose, referring to performance an interest in movement and figure artists, such as Marina Abramovic, and through my portfolio, I became curious designers, such as Alexander McQueen, in to understand the relationship between order to develop a conclusion as to whether fashion and performance art and the a catwalk can be considered a form of similarities they have. Performance art is “a performance art. time-based art form that typically features a live presentation to an audience or to Performance art is often created by artists onlookers (as on a street) and draws on that want to make art that cannot be such arts as acting, poetry, music, dance, commercialised. They use this form of art and painting” (Wainwright). to ask questions and A catwalk is defined as “a biannual presentation of a new clothing collection There is a search for raise awareness to issues occurring in our world (Tate, 2017). This on moving bodies for an audience” (Skov, et al., 2009). Evaluating these originality ... in both may have evolved due to the innovations in technology that have two definitions it is fashion and allowed art to be easily already possible to make a connection between them: both refer to an audience. performance art. reproduced or shared, such as printing and the internet. These This is an important part mechanisms have of performance art as the creation of an allowed us to capture moments and for emotion in the viewer is often the reason many people to view them simultaneously for the work. Similarly, in a catwalk the (Berger, 1972). Performance art seeks fashion designer is either showing the to resist this by creating art that is garments with the intention of generating spontaneous and evolving and so that if the a reaction from the viewer or as a form artist was to reperform the piece it would of marketing, encouraging the spectator be different each time and by doing this to purchase them. However, a fashion reclaim the originality of a piece of art. 5 Marina Abramović is a performance artist from Serbia. In the majority of her work she uses her body as part of her performance. A work of hers that stood out to me is “The Artist is Present”, a 2010 MoMA exhibition. In this piece, Abramović sits in a chair, with a table and another chair in front of her. Throughout the performance visitors are invited to sit in the second chair and face her. The visitors were told not to speak or touch the artist, but there was no time limit for how long they could sit facing her. Over the performance the artist sat with 1,545 people. (Wikipedia)

This performance helps to give a base for comparison, it exhibits the way that performance art focuses on meaning and creating a unique experience. It is said that “performance is not a medium, it is a tool used by artists to raise questions about how art relates to us and the wider social world” (Tate, 2017). This desire to provoke the spectator to think differently or bring awareness to an issue is a strong characteristic of this form of art, “performance art is a way of tapping in the basic instincts that all humans share” (McCann, 2016). Another important factor of performance art is the relevance of the audience; as shown in “The Artist is Present”, the performance requires the visitors to participate in it; “both the artist and the viewer are necessary for the completion of a work of art” (MoMALearning,). It could

be argued that they are more important that the artist, especially in this performance, as they are the ones that develop the work, each bringing their own emotions and meaning to it.

To be able to identify whether the catwalk is a form of performance art it must be first understood that there are different types of designers; that not all fashion designers have the same purpose behind their work. These different types of designers can be split into five categories “spectacle, substance, science, structure and statement” (Duggan, 2015).

In terms of audience participation, the “fashion designer creates artwork that needs another person for its completion” (Berges, 2017); this is because one of the main purposes of a catwalk is to create “visibility and exposure for a designer’s collection with the ultimate intention of selling clothes” (Klerk, 2021). Therefore, without an audience the primary reason for the catwalk cannot be fulfilled. Although it can be argued that this purpose is not comparable to the way that the audience is needed in performance art to convey the concept behind the art, the event itself needs spectators to function.

Clothing in itself brings up “conceptual ideas about the relationship with the body in terms of identity, self-image, and environment” (McCann, 2016). Fashion allows us as humans to communicate with others, displaying personality and emotions (Berges, 2017). Therefore, this suggests that if we view a catwalk less literally, each day we use our clothes to convey messages to the people around us, and in some cases, for example t-shirts with slogans, these items of clothing may create an emotion or urge the person who sees it to question something.

Fashion shows have evolved over time, “from pure garment presentation, to fully fledged immersive experiences” (Tantawy). Often, this is because a more shocking show provokes social media and news coverage, giving the designer an opportunity to display their garments to a wider audience and grow their brand. There is a search for originality that I think is present in both fashion design and performance art, where the artist employs new ideas or pushes boundaries so that the audience experiences something new, and this helps to convey an idea strongly.

Marina Abramović – The Artist is Present

Additionally, both the artist and designer need to reflect society and moments in time in order to connect with an audience (Klerk, 2021). This is because an audience can empathise and feel the emotions the designer intends to convey more strongly if they can relate their life with the concepts in the performance.

There are examples of fashion designers that exhibit characteristics of performance art in their catwalks, such as Issey Miyake. He designed a catwalk where the garment was reshaped on the model, making the physical process the actual work. Or Iris Van Herpen, whose “garments [are] meant to be seen in flux, Fashion shows are making performance a significant part of made to be shocking design and show” to gain publicity. (Duggan, 2015, p. 260). The connection between these two art forms is amplified as the work of fashion designers, such as Alexander McQueen or Hussein Chayalan, is explored in more detail.

SPECTACLE - ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Alexander McQueen is known for creating “extreme reactions within the media and the public” (McCann, 2016) and can be categorised as a spectacle designer. One example of this is his Spring/Summer 2001 show in which the show deliberately started two hours later than advertised. This meant that the audience were forced to sit staring at themselves in mirrors before the show. This created a sense of discomfort and selfconsciousness in the spectators. The show then began with models who had bandages wrapped around their heads, these “were representative of surgery – surgery to change the way a person is” (McCann, 2016). The models were also in a mirrored box, so they couldn’t see the audience, they were told to act as if they were in a mental asylum. Some models were asked to remove their clothing representing “stripping away the pain and the armour” (Milligan, 2014).

This show resembles performance art because it seeks to explain “what is buried in people’s psyches, what goes through their mind and the things they are scared to face up to” (McCann, 2016). The performance evoked strong emotions in the audience, ones that cannot be fully sensed rewatching it online, therefore the lack of reproducibility seen in performance art is present. Additionally, fashion designers are similar to performance artists due to the fact that they both often “employ confrontational or uncomfortable environments” (Duggan, 2015) to trigger emotions in the audience.

Secondly, McQueen’s Spring 1999 show finished with Shalom Harlow entering in a white dress, “cinched across the bust with a leather belt” (VogueRunway). Two robots began to spray her with paint as she spun on a podium. This succeeded because it “[captivated] the press by shocking them” (Duggan, 2015, p. 248). McQueen has said he was “inspired by artist Rebecca Horn’s 1991 installation, High Moon” (Frankel, 2016), a piece where two guns rotate, sometimes ending up facing each other, and these guns are connected to funnels of fake blood. In terms of the meaning behind this performance “some said Harlow was McQueen’s dying swan” or “a thinly veiled reference to sexual climax” (Frankel, 2016). The use of technology in this show is interesting, although it was performed in 1999 and therefore the designer cannot have meant this to be the meaning behind it, I think it could be interpreted as the

destruction and modification of a person as they are exposed to the internet and social media. The robots that spray the paint appear uncontrollable and this force of new technology shows its power over the person exposed to it.

However, one thing that separates these fashion shows from performance art is that their “motivation is primarily marketing” (Duggan, 2015, p. 250). Fashion shows are made to be shocking to gain publicity, whereas performance art solely exists to highlight an issue or make the viewer consider something.

SUBSTANCE - HUSSEIN CHAYALAN

Hussein Chayalan can be considered a substance designer. This is because he believes that the “concept behind a season remains central to the understanding” (Duggan, 2015, p. 250). This means that we can ascertain that his shows may be more focused on the content and process, rather than solely to create a reaction that leads to a purchase. This desire not to be controlled by market forces is further established through his “inability to successfully negotiate the line between art and commerce” (Duggan, 2015, p. 254) leading to him having to file for liquidation. This suggests he designs for reaction rather than consumption and that these types of designers are more interested in conveying an idea than commercial production. He has said that he doesn’t care to create shock pieces, but his work is created through experimentation with materials and technology.

In Chayalan’s 1994 thesis show he buried the garments and then unearthed them for presentation. This “ritualistic process” conveys ideas of “transience, evolution and materiality” (Duggan, 2015, p. 252). The burial process allowed him to explore texture and decomposition, and although the performance was important it is the process that takes precedence. This is similar to performance art because in this art form, even if the performance leads to the production of a piece, it is the process itself that is the focus, rather than the final result. Although it could be argued that Chayalan used this process to achieve a result, the connotations of the burial process suggest otherwise.

Chayalan’s designs support the suggestion that there are different types of designers and that some are more closely related to performance artists than others. Those who explore concepts rather than aim for publicity are more similar to performance artists.

SCIENCE – JUNYA WATANABE

These types of designers also often focus on process rather than outcome and create fashion shows through exploring fabric and process innovation. In Watanabe’s Spring 2000 show, he experiments with waterproof fabric, showing his garments on models walking down runways filled with water and water falling from above. Although this exploration of materials is interesting, I think that due to the lack of an abstract concept behind the work, this form of designer is less similar to a performance artist.

STRUCTURE – MARTIN MARGIELA

These fashion designers often create garments that have a sculptural nature. It could be argued that Rebecca Horn could be

Calvin Klein – Lil Miquela and Bella Hadid

included in this group, due to the similarity in use of three-dimensional garments. In Margiela’s 1998 flat collection, he creates clothing that lies perfectly flat when not worn or in another collection he reproduces doll clothing in human size, with each element, such as stitching and buttons, enlarged. However, in the same way that there was a lack of abstract concept in the science designers, the structure designers explore form rather than use form to express ideas. Performance artists often have a concept behind their work, and they use different methods of live performance to convey it, rather than the performance being the idea.

STATEMENT – ELENA BAJO

This type of designer often creates “fashion shows that are loaded with social commentary”, “commenting on subjects... fur, body image and the fashion industry as a whole” (Duggan, 2015, p. 263). For this reason, it could be argued that statement designers are the most similar to performance artists. The shows themselves can be similar to the happenings of performance art, for example Elena Bajo has a collection in which the models act out nervous breakdowns, asking the audience “Is this making you uncomfortable?” and then responding “Good” (Duggan, 2015, p. 267). This is very similar to the atmosphere that you would encounter at a happening, forcing the audience to question themselves and expressing the views of the designer.

DIGITAL FASHION

Digital fashion has grown due to the pandemic and emerging technology. Due to this “many of the major fashion houses have opted for a blend of the digital and physical” (Allegar, 2020). This allows and fine art have moved in the same fashion to become accessible to more kind of direction, in the terms that they people, therefore the audience grows use space, movement, and participation from a select group of people invited to convey statements, messages and to a catwalk to anyone who can access ideas” (McCann, 2016). Conceptual art the internet. Digital fashion has new has grown as an art form, it focuses on connections to performance art as the act the idea behind a piece of work rather of being digital brings up the question of than the finished item and performance where the line between the real and virtual art has emerged as part of this growth. world stands, and this concept has huge Fashion design has followed this, and significance in our society. For example, conceptual fashion is becoming more the CGI model Lil Miquela featured in a common. Therefore, as fashion and art Calvin Klein online catwalk show with merges, a catwalk becomes more similar Bella Hadid, the two models kiss; this kiss to performance art. It is also interesting could be interpreted as a joining of the real that fashion designers are inspired by and digital world. However, not all online performance artists, as McQueen was catwalks are the same. The Savage x Fenty inspired by Rebecca Horn, and this in show is a “celebration itself brings of unrivalled diversity” “fostering a sense of what [F]ashion designers performance art and fashion beauty and empowerment means in the 21st century”. Although there is a are inspired by performance closer together. As explored throughout the message behind the artists. essay, it is evident fashion show, perhaps that the similarity this isn’t sufficiently complex to be classed between performance artists and fashion as performance art and these shows can designers depends hugely on the type be reproduced many times with no change of fashion designer, with statement to the performance, going against the designers the most similar and science importance of spontaneity in performance the least. art. This reproducibility can be challenged with the idea of NFT’s (Non-Fungible Although often a fashion designers’ main Tokens), a unique digital asset. However, objective is to increase sales, and this has these are not yet linked to virtual catwalks, been used as a point that differentiates but to the sale of digital clothing. them from performance artists, it must also be understood that artists also In conclusion, there are many aspects of are likely to make work for monetary a catwalk and performance art that are purposes, as it also is a profession. An similar. I think a catwalk could be classed artist and a designer may both be trying as a type of performance art, as it exhibits to increase the impact on the audience some elements of performance art, but for monetary gain and therefore, as this through the use of garments and often is another element that links the two for the reason of achieving recognition art forms, I think that a catwalk can be or purchase of clothing. “Both fashion considered a form of performance art. 8