Live Art in the UK: Contemporary Performances of Precarity

Since entering the performance lexicon in the 1970s, the term Live Art has been used to describe a diverse but interrelated array of performance practices and approaches. This volume offers a contextual and critical introduction to the scene of contemporary Live Art in Britain. Focusing on the key artists, companies and organisations with a prolific body of work and which have been vital to the development of contemporary practice, this edited volume maps the landscape, illuminating the origins, concerns and aesthetics of Live Art in the UK today.In their Introduction to the volume, the editor situate Live Art in relation to other related areas of artistic practice such as Performance Art and Body Art, and explore Live Art as a British phenomenon, considering questions of cultural specificity, financial and institutional support, and social engagement. A Prologue further maps the context by tracing the work and impact of key organisations and frameworks on the Live Art scene in the UK, in particular the Live Art Development Agency, besides Artsadmin, Arts Catalyst and Spill festival. Across three sections leading scholars offer case studies exploring the practice of key artists:*Section One: Experiments In Life / Experiments In Art Anne Bean, Marisa Carnesky, and Julia Bardsley*Section Two: Performances Of Conflict And Resolution, Hurt And HealingAdrian Howells, Alastair MacLennan, and Kira O'Reilly*Section Three: Camp, Comedy And LaughsDavid Hoyle, Duckie Performance Collective, and Marcia Farquhar