Abstract
This chapter introduces part 2 of The Phenomenology of Blood in Performance Art. It establishes the radical potential of collective care within performance art, framing it as an act of resistance against neoliberal and capitalist imperatives that prioritize productivity over well-being. Drawing on phenomenology, particularly Merleau-Ponty’s concept of fundierung, the discussion considers how shared experiences of pain, risk, and vulnerability generate new modes of communal care.
Performance art, often positioned outside commercial art markets, fosters alternative spaces for expression, particularly among marginalized artists whose work embodies intersectional concerns. Through an analysis of performance platforms such as Panoply Performance Lab, Mobius, and Grüntaler 9, this chapter demonstrates how performance art communities cultivate care as a reciprocal, embodied phenomenon. The presence (or absence) of blood in performance is examined as a powerful site of shared investment, where audiences and artists engage in a mutual witnessing of bodily limits.
This introductory chapter also highlights the ways in which care disrupts hegemonic narratives surrounding pain and suffering. Engaging with Scarry’s theories on pain’s isolating effects and Jones’ discussion of empathy in performance, it argues that care functions as a countermeasure, creating spaces for collective meaning-making. Importantly, the discussion situates care within its historical and political contexts, tracing its origins in Black feminist activism—particularly Audre Lorde’s assertion of self-care as political warfare—while critiquing its commodification within capitalist wellness industries.
By positioning care as a shared phenomenological experience rather than an individualistic pursuit, this chapter challenges dominant socio-political structures that fragment human connection. Instead, it advocates for a return to radical, embodied care as a transformative strategy within performance art and beyond.
Performance art, often positioned outside commercial art markets, fosters alternative spaces for expression, particularly among marginalized artists whose work embodies intersectional concerns. Through an analysis of performance platforms such as Panoply Performance Lab, Mobius, and Grüntaler 9, this chapter demonstrates how performance art communities cultivate care as a reciprocal, embodied phenomenon. The presence (or absence) of blood in performance is examined as a powerful site of shared investment, where audiences and artists engage in a mutual witnessing of bodily limits.
This introductory chapter also highlights the ways in which care disrupts hegemonic narratives surrounding pain and suffering. Engaging with Scarry’s theories on pain’s isolating effects and Jones’ discussion of empathy in performance, it argues that care functions as a countermeasure, creating spaces for collective meaning-making. Importantly, the discussion situates care within its historical and political contexts, tracing its origins in Black feminist activism—particularly Audre Lorde’s assertion of self-care as political warfare—while critiquing its commodification within capitalist wellness industries.
By positioning care as a shared phenomenological experience rather than an individualistic pursuit, this chapter challenges dominant socio-political structures that fragment human connection. Instead, it advocates for a return to radical, embodied care as a transformative strategy within performance art and beyond.
| Original language | English |
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| Publisher | Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Feb 2025 |