Shia LaBeouf – An artist of our time?

Daniel John Fotheringham / / Other Solo Performances, Progression of Performance, Research Material
140211-romano-labeouf-tease_trepye
Shia LaBeouf in #IAMSORRY

In todays class, we were once again introduced to a set of artists. In observing them all, I felt they evoked some interesting elements. However, one artist that spoke out to me more was none other but the renowned Shia LaBeouf.

Now prior to finding out about his work, similar to some people as seen in the class, I felt very strongly against his work due to his reputation that he has gained in the media. Such instances have showcased him for example as a madman and as if he is trying to hold onto his fame by trying to redefine himself as a performance artist. Indeed, this is highlighted why the business magazine, Forbes in which they attack the artist by saying that “his downfall has been tragic, even if it appears to be mostly self-inflicted” and also that “he should retreat from public life altogether, and focus on ridding himself of whatever ailment troubles him;” (Placido, 2017).

However, whilst people may say that Placido’s statement is true, I believe that LaBeouf does not deserve this statement. Whilst he may have caused controversy, he has been regarded as a millennial artist that aims to make a statement personally about who he is, what he does and try to make that distinction of what is art and entertainment. Thus, through his perseverance of being an artist, he has been seen as a popular culture icon that many people are fascinated by as seen in the video below:

(robcantor, 2014).

From this video above, we could say that there is so much to learn about LaBeouf as he gained a cult following for his decision to be a performance artist and also as a celebrity. Indeed, LaBeouf’s performance style could be deemed as him trying to redeem himself and define himself as an artist. Thus, we could say that this video jokingly poking at LaBeouf epitomises who he is and what he does concerning his performance art.

Now whilst LaBeouf has had a very short career so far as a performance artist, we will focus on one performance he did called #ALLMYMOVIES. Seen below, the six part video documents LaBeouf’s performance as he watches all of he films in reverse starting with his latest film at the time of the performance to his first movie. In the performance, as documented below, he allowed audience members to come in to see him perform and watch his own films and also livestreamed the event for people to observe from the internet. This performance went on for three days, as documented in Jimmy Kimmel video with Shia LaBeouf and personally has allowed me to understand the idea more of the distinction between a performer and artist.

(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).

(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).

(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).

(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).

(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).

(LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, 2016).

(Jimmy Kimmel Live, 2016).

From the set of videos, there is a lot we can learn a lot from LaBeouf’s performance. For starters, one interesting thing we could say is that for the manner of the performance, we see him enter the room and sit down as if he is trying to signify he is an equal and not as if he should be respected higher. Therefore, it could be suggested that he is playing with the idea of the relationship between the audience and performer and as if he implying that everyone, including Shia LaBeouf, creates the performance. This is even including the people watching the livestream and therefore makes the piece feel extremely interactive. Thus, this is something I wish to explore as I am intending on livestreaming the performance in which the audience will be able to question this distinction between audience and performer and who has the dominance onstage.

As well, one of the other questions we could ask is the question concerning the issue of authenticity. A couple of weeks ago, we explored this idea of authenticity/ autobiographical performance in which, during the workshop, we came to a conclusion that it is hard to define whether a autobiographical performance can be deemed as authentic as there will always be some performativity to the piece of work which would make it less authentic. Indeed, as Craig Gingrich-Philbrook notes in his introduction to his script Refreshment, “autobiographical performers cannot speak for an absolutely unique experience.” (Philbrook, 1997, 353). Therefore, it is unclear to define whether Shia LaBeouf’s performance can be seen as authentic due to the performativity of his reactions in this meta-theatrical performance as he watches the films in reverse.

However, one thing that is interesting is, once again, this issue of status as a performer. From discussions and understanding the artist in class, we understood that his main aim was to try and sec make himself change his status from celebrity status and make himself an equal in the audience. However, in performing this piece in a manner where he is allowing the audience to view it as a participant, the focus is less on the films being shown but more the focus on his reaction. Indeed, one problem that occurs is that this creates a “boomerang” effect in which he is unable to denounce himself as a celebrity but as an artist. This idea of the denouncement and equality of the audience is something I wish to challenge as I feel this idea of the power relationship and challenging this idea of how I could be deemed as an equal onstage compared and how, through the status and persona of a Youtuber, how I could try and denounce myself and the reaction that would give or vice versa.

Overall, whilst people may criticise Shia LaBeouf for having no relevance or an idea on what his work could be, I find his performance art interesting. Each piece holds something clear and important and allows him to denounce himself into a performance artist and allows us to question his work or even make suggestions on what it could mean. Thus, this allows us to rethink the ideas of post-modernism and modernism and brings us back to the ideas of Matt Chewiwie in the question of how you distinguish art and performance and what the meaning of art is.

Works Cited:

Jimmy Kimmel Live (2016) Shia LaBeouf Explains His Performance Art Events. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeZ6iy_qUhs [accessed 05 March 2018].

LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 1 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkIPVVpY164 [accessed 05 March 2018].

LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 2 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhq-KgkKVCg [accessed 05 March 2018].

LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 3 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkJ1oGgMzJM [accessed 05 March 2018].

LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 4 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgrwLhpcqwo [accessed 05 March 2018].

LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 5 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow2SjHwffQ4 [accessed 05 March 2018].

LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016)  #ALLMYMOVIES (Part 6 of 6). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO_xbsp6sKA [accessed 05 March 2018].

Philbrook, C.G. (1997) Autobiographical Performance Scripts – Refreshment. Text and Performance Quarterly, 17 352-360.

Placido, D. D. (2017) What Happened To You, Shia LaBeouf?. Forbes, 12 July. Available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2017/07/12/what-happened-to-you-shia-labeouf/#641f40fb1193 [accessed 05 March 2018].

robcantor (2014). “Shia LaBeouf” Live – Rob Cantor. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI [accessed 05 March].

Initial ideas and Practitioners

Daniel John Fotheringham / / Other Solo Performances, Progression of Performance, Research Material

Over the past four weeks of this module, I have been exploring various ideas that could be used for the final solo piece. Personally, I have found this an exciting process as it has allowed me to narrow down my thoughts and think critically about some ideas that can be explored in the next following weeks that can be explored. So, instead of doing separate blog posts detailing about my thoughts on this, I have decided to compile all my thoughts into one so you can get a succinct idea of where my piece is heading. That does not mean that I won’t be exploring some ideas in finer detail but it is so you can get an idea of where it is heading currently and why I think this will be an interesting idea to explore in rehearsals. So, without further ado, here are my ideas:

What is the current stimulus for my solo performance? 

Currently, my stimulus is based on the idea of YouTubing and the idea of how a YouTuber can gain a reputation for better or worse. In the ten minutes of the piece, I want to explore this idea of the downfall of someone online. I want to question how big a downfall it can become when a YouTuber shows their real thoughts and personalities on camera instead of conforming to the ideals that are expected when it comes to creating YouTube videos.

Why should you explore this stimulus? 

I want to explore the stimulus because I think it is something that is becoming very current in today’s world. When researching the topic, I found a shocking statistic in which one in ten people now have created their own YouTube channel and this may be down to the fact that many people see famous YouTubers as role models and people aspire to be. Therefore, this idea of becoming a role model can be both a positive but also a very scary prospect as the YouTuber’s reputation is put on the line because if they do something that could be deemed as extremely wrong or offensive then it may cost them their reputation and job. This has clearly become a problem in the last few months with famous YouTubers such as Logan Paul, KSI and recently, Shane Dawson in which they have all faced scandals that have occurred on YouTube and has cost them a lot with their reputation and also, at times, rewards with their jobs that YouTube has taken away and this is one of the big reasons why I wish to explore this concept of YouTubing.

Briefly describe some of the ideas that you want to explore. 

There are a few ideas that I have in mind but these are some of the ideas I think that are interesting ideas and could be explored.

1. Live streaming the show – From researching YouTube and how a YouTuber can gain money professionally, I have discovered that a lot of the money comes from when people tune into their videos they make and view it. Very much, the idea for YouTube is to get the views and I feel this is something I could incorporate into the show. As the venue I am intending to use (Studio 2) is a very intimate space and would only be able to seat thirty people at the maximum, I would not be able to get as many people to view the show and get the full impact of my point of the show. Whereas, by being able to live stream the show on social media sites such as Facebook, it would allow me to branch out to a wider audience and also make the message more real as I assume that people would view it through their mobile phone or laptop for the sake of convenience and also down to habit as that is how people normally consume YouTube. Plus, I am keen to show the idea of how people will only be able to see one side of me and of what I put on the internet to view and they do not see everything that is happening in the ten minutes.

2. Creating my own “Diss” Track – In one of my earlier blog posts, I mentioned that I wanted to create a “Diss” track giving some people an idea of the way how some people approach YouTube by verbally attacking people in a comedic manner. However, in deciding on this idea of a “Diss” track, one of my big concerns is that there will be certain people in the audience who will be unaware of the topic that I am discussing. Therefore, I have decided to branch out and discuss a wider topic and I have discovered a topic that may be of some worth to discuss this topic.

(Good Morning Britain, 2018).

Recently in the news, there has been a massive controversy concerning the closure of many KFC restaurants due to the lack of chicken being supplied. This has sparked so much anger and frustration to many people in the public due to the fact that the convenience of the fast-food chain has shut down and I think there is something overtly funny about several people complaining over a greasy meal. Indeed, in one of the videos below, there is a woman who highlights her frustration in saying “I’ve had to go to Burger King.” (ITV News, 2018). I think this can be done as very comedic and I feel that the use of something “major” will help me in dissing KFC and trying to make the audience feel as if I am the “role model” to follow in criticising my thoughts of the chain on the internet.

(ITV News, 2018).

3 – Space – in the past few sessions, we have been exploring the idea of space and when doing the activity, my group was given a tight corner. In one of my previous blog posts, I showed my enthusiasm for this space as I felt that there were a lot of interesting elements to space. For starters, I really like the way how it could feel quite intimate and if modified, it could be seen as a really relaxed/intimate space. However, at the same time, it could come across as a very exposed and trapped space in which there is no way to escape. Thus, I feel that I want to use the space so it makes the YouTuber feel trapped in their own world of hate and dominance. Plus, I want to be able to have a space where I am able to interact with an audience. Therefore, I feel that this could be seen as extremely intimate and very exciting to observe in a visceral manner due to the fact that the audience may feel uncomfortable.

What artists do you want to incorporate into your performance? 

For my performance, current certain artists include Laurie Anderson, Karen Finley and Tim Crouch. There are various reasons and below are the reasons for each artist and why I want to incorporate their performance style:

Laurie Anderson – As mentioned before, the piece will focus on YouTube and I am intending to livestream the show. Therefore, I am expecting that my show will have a massive emphasis on the multimedia aspect. With Anderson’s work, I find it highly political in which every piece of work aims to send a message concerning politics. Some of her favourite work that I have discovered is Mach 20 as I feel the use of the voice is not only used for comedic purposes but also highlights the problems about how sometimes we forget what is going on in the world and the metaphor of the sperm whale being a missile is interesting. This could be an exciting idea in trying to modulate and change my voice as I feel that this could emphasise the idea that for people on YouTube, you only see what they wish to put out online. Therefore, by deciding to modulate my voice, it could mean that it could be interesting to observe how I am only showing an audience (Ie. the people that view the livestream) how they are viewing an image I wish to put out online.

(k8fan, 2006).

Karen Finley – Another artist that interests me is Karen Finley and her idea of hysteria. This is because when it comes to YouTube, when a video is put online, there can be some extreme comments which people could relate back to Finley’s work. Whilst I will say that I personally am not a fan of her work due to the explicit nature of it, I do personally think that there are interesting elements to explore. I think that Finley’s work, whilst there is a heavy emphasis on hysteria and the female body, could be used to help create my diss track in beginning it as a funny piece only to then take it to an extreme.

(Belgian New Beat, 2014).

Tim Crouch – One final artist that I am currently thinking about is Tim Crouch. This is because I am a fan of the way he has the idea of not distancing himself from the audience by making all his roles “Tim Crouch as…” meaning that he is closer to the audience as he is not playing a role but just showing a side of his personality suited for the role. Personally, I find this interesting as I want to get the audience create a bond with me and I feel that by creating a bond with the audience, it will help them not only engage in the piece but also make them feel trapped in this idea of thinking they know about me when in fact they will only see one side of me onstage. Thus, I am also keen to use Crouch’s theory of autosuggestion in which I can theoretically suggest to the audience that I am taking on the persona of a YouTuber instead of actually being one.

What do you want your audience to take away from the piece? 

For the show, there are many things I want the audience to take away. However, the main objective of the piece is to alert and inform people about the cynical things that can occur when people create YouTube videos. That is not to say that this is going to be done in a dystopian or didactic manner in which the message is “YouTube is bad. Stay away from it.” But, the whole purpose of it is to show this idea of how some people do gain a reputation and how far they are willing to go to gain that reputation online. Thus, I hope the piece will be able to help people become a bit cynical about the way people project their lives onto the internet.

Works Cited:

Belgian New Beat (2014) Karen Finley – Tales of Taboo . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrr4qNJJ7U8 [accessed 2 March 2018].

Good Morning Britain (2018) The ‘KFC’ Chicken Crisis – Good Morning Britain. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4VtITHr-OQ&feature=youtu.be [accessed 1 March 2018].

ITV News (2018) KFC closures over chicken shortage to continue for rest of the week – ITV News . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elh5B1y8vKM [accessed 1 March 2018].

k8fan (2006) Laurie Anderson – Mach 20 . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SirOxIeuNDE [accessed 2 March 2018].

Presentation on Tim Crouch

Daniel John Fotheringham / / Other Solo Performances, Research Material

Below is a slideshare presentation on Tim Crouch. It cover’s three pieces of work that he has created. If the link does not work, please use the following web address to find the presentation:

The videos in the presentation are listed below:

(TEDx Talks, 2017).

(juliageek, 2007)

(juliageek, 2007)

(traversetheatre, 2010).

Works Cited:

juliageek (2007) An Oak Tree by Tim Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=321&v=gIf3a49W_iI [accessed 26 February 2018].

juliageek (2007) Tim Crouch: England

Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeQ07Wmt_6E [accessed 26 February 2018].

traversetheatre (2010) The Author by Time Crouch.wmv

. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0frcePdLnJg [accessed 26 February 2018].

TEDx Talks (2017) The Art of Autosuggestion – Tim Crouch – TEDxRoyalCentralSchool 

. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pb11GYJ7wY [accessed 26 February 2018].

“Thank you for the music” – Analysing a Diss Track

Daniel John Fotheringham / / Progression of Performance, Research Material

Throughout this module, I have become very interested in the concept of YouTube and how the idea of a YouTuber will go to extremes in order to gain a reputation that can either make or break them. Indeed, this idea of fame and the consequences of it has fascinated me as many class YouTubing as a “easy” job to make money when quite a lot of it comes from other projects. However, in doing a project on YouTube, one must be able to understand the drama that can be caused and I feel that the only way to do this is by analysing a “Diss” track.

According to the website, Urban Dictionary, a diss track is a song or piece of music “made by one artist to insult another artist.” (Urban Dictionary, 2018). In this case, a diss track can be used by a YouTuber of particular fame to tackle someone else such as an artist, another YouTuber or even someone of high importance. Through this idea of the diss track, the main aim is to humiliate them and make them feel that something must be done and normally, this can work to create supposed wars between YouTubers due to the fact they may feel the urge to fight back and insult that person.

In particular, this has been used from a set of YouTubers called “The Sidemen”. Created in 2013 from a set of YouTubers, the Sidemen were not only friends but housemates and set to entertain YouTube. During their time, they created a set of Diss tracks implying that they had a feud between them all and was used for controversy. (For more info, click here: http://ultimatesidemen.com/). In helping us analyse this idea of a diss track, we shall observe a track below to get the idea of mood, rhythm and the language used. However, I shall warn you that it does contain some heavy gratuitous language and topics of an extreme nature so if you are easily offended, I would recommend skipping this video and observe my analysis of the video.

From observing this video, there are a lot of things we can gain from this in terms of the culture of extremity on the internet. For starters, one thing I find fascinating is the use of the camera and it’s heavy influence of the low angle shot. Shown particularly in this video with Harry (WroeToShaw) stood on various objects such as a car, bars and even benches is a common trope in rap videos. Used as visual imagery for power and dominance, this idea of using the angle is used as mockery not just to signal power but as if they are trying to knock that person with that power as if they wish to mockingly hurt them. Thus, the idea of this, can be seen as extremely comedic as if he is trying to hurt KSI without disrupting his own fandom.

low angle
Low Angle on Rap Artist.

 

 

 

 

 

(KanyeWestVEVO, 2011)

As well, another thing that makes the diss track comedic is it’s use on the extreme reaction at the beginning in which Harry smashes his computer after hearing KSI’s lyric, “F**k the Sidemen” (W2S, 2017). This use of the reaction is not only shocking and comedic but can relate back to the young culture in which it mimics how extreme a reaction can be and what is expected of youth culture. Thus, this can be seen as extremely funny due to the fact that it shocks the audience and hooks them into the rap.

Another thing that I find interesting about this staging of this piece is the use of costume as a lot of times, it is used to make a statement. Usually, hip-hop artists/ rap artists use the clothing to make a massive statement about their clothing by either wearing garish clothing that would not normally be worn or a jacket that consists of fur to give the impression of a modern day gangster. The use of the clothing once more asserts dominance as if the clothes are a message concerning the idea of “trends” and helps assert the idea that it is ok for the youth to act in this manner or mimic this type of behaviour.

Finally, one of the other uses for the diss track is the use of dialogue and text. Throughout the song, there are various references to the artist’s (KSI) life and his allegations towards sexual harassment including the phrase “You’ve got a girlfriend now to be fair to you/ So tell me/ Did you sexually harass her too?” which can be extreme and is seen not only to offend but to shock an audience (W2S, 2017). This use of this particular phrase allows us to think twice about this person and makes us question if this is the person we know or whether it is not who we think it is allowing us to therefore not only question his actions but also rethink about his actions. Indeed, this is done in a tone that is very loud and noisy as if we are meant to hear and not only question but also respond in a very aggressive manner. Thus, we could say that by the use of the dialogue, it allows us to be in a state of questioning and as if we are able to humiliate and “roast” him.

Overall, the track raises loads of questions concerning the issues of our culture. The use of the diss track viscerally allows us to attack certain people and also by creating a safe boundary of dominance to remind us that what they are saying is fake. This is something I wish to consider for the performance as I feel it could be interesting to observe how people react to a culture like this in performance instead of something else as a rant as I think that the idea of internet culture is becoming even more important as the days go on.

Works Cited:

 

KanyeWestVEVO (2011) JAY Z, Kanye West – Otis ft. Otis Redding. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoEKWtgJQAU [accessed 22 Februrary 2018].

Urban Dictionary (2018) Top definition – diss track. Available from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=diss%20track [accessed 22 February 2018].

W2S (2017) W2S – KSI Sucks (RiceGum & KSI Diss Track) Official Video. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmcfL_qLhMo [accessed 22 February 2018].

“Look around, Look around” (Miranda, 2016, 41) Exploring space.

Daniel John Fotheringham / / Research Material, Work devised in rehearsals

In focusing on space, one must be able to understand the possibilities in exploring the space that is picked. This was clearly shown in an activity that we wished to do in class and explored for a week.

In the task, we were split into small teams in which we were asked to explore a particular space from a set of options we were given. Our group decided that we wish to get a tight corner and we started to think about the possibilities of the space. As we did not get specified whereabouts our space was, we started brainstorming some ideas in which we began with the idea of a boxed up corner including silhouettes. The reason we started with this idea was that, as a group, we felt that whilst “Language barriers are the most common communication barriers which cause misunderstandings and misinterpretations”, universally we are able to understand emotions and feelings from actions that humans do (Businesstopia, 2018). Thus, we had this as an idea to explore to evoke the ideas of how people may feel as if they are excluded and yet there can normally be a universal language that is seen through movements instead of being secluded by the way we speak.

However, in furthering the idea, we found issue with it as we were concerned that the idea would not be able to progress and could come across as very episodic which is what we were not after. Therefore, we decided to change the idea as we felt that we wanted an idea which would not only entice the audience but make them feel uncomfortable as they watched the piece. Therefore, we decided to revert back to our childhood to the idea of when we were at Primary School.

In reverting back to the idea of our childhood and our time at Primary School, we decided to think about certain ideas such as the book corner and the naughty corner used as a “time out” area if a kid was acting out of order and needed some space away from the rest of the class. So, from this, we decided to create an idea based on the idea in which the book corner was an area in which certain books were banned. In discussion with the rest of the group, we decided to do this as there are certain texts around the world that are banned due to cultural reasons. Certain books that rose in discussion were texts such as Alice in Wonderland which is banned in China for its issues concerning that animals speak in the text. As well, other texts that arose were the Harry Potter books for its depiction of magic and also John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men for depiction of someone with a disability and also its attitude towards the American Dream. Below is a video discussing more books we thought about from YouTube channel, WatchMojo, to get an idea of the discussions we had.

(WatchMojo, 2015)

From creating the stimulus, we then started thinking about how the piece would progress and decided that it may be interesting with playing around on what books has been banned, reading them inside the audience and then stating where they are banned and why. The reason we wanted to do this was to showcase how silly some of the reasons are. For example, in the case of the Harry Potter books, certain states and countries have banned the book for its observations on magic and that it promotes the ideas of wizardry for younger children. Yet, as a book, it is highly regarded as one of the best selling children’s novels of all time so it is quite shocking that people will not allow this book in certain countries.

From doing this idea, we then explored the space by pitching it in the space and this I found very interesting. In exploring the space, it felt quite claustrophobic with the space we were doing it in as it not only felt intimate but quite oppressive. Indeed, the fact that it was done in the style of a ninety degree angle which were straight with chairs, it made me feel quite exposed and as if it was extremely formal as if there was nowhere to hide. Compared to if it was done on an arc with a different form of seating, such as bean bags which were discussed in our time, it made the space feel quite exposed and scary for the audience to observe and I felt that by having it done in that manner, it meant that the performance could come across as extremely formal compared to if it was done in an arc which would feel less scary and comforting for the actor to perform.

From doing this activity, this is a space that I really am passionate to consider as I feel that it is quite exciting to observe. Whilst it is limiting in terms of space concerning what is possible, I feel that with this space it would feel quite intimate and this is something I want to do with my solo piece. To me, performance is about that intimate moment between you and an audience and what is created in that small amount of time is magical as you have witnessed it. Thus, this is something to consider as a space and I am excited to workshop in the space how it may be oppressive and also how you can make it relaxed for both the audience and the performer.

Works Cited

Businesstopia (2018) Language Barriers to Communication – Definition of Language Barriers. Available from https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/language-barriers [accessed 19 February 2018].

WatchMojo (2015) Top 10 Books That Have Been Banned. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTpGunoyANA [accessed 19 February 2018].