Overview
My topic is activist art. What it is, how it affects us, why it affects us, and why people choose art to express activism in the first place. I researched various well-known examples throughout history including artwork done during the gay rights movement in the 1960-70s and songs written in protest of the Vietnam War. Paintings and music are common and easy-to-find examples of activist art, but I want to use my Capstone Project as a way of exploring the effect of activism-centered choreography. I have started to choreograph a dance surrounding a theme of the oppression of women throughout history. Each movement will have a deeper, metaphorical underlying message to it, a message I will clearly spell out in the written component of my final draft.
In depth-look
The dance begins with the heel of my hand pushing my head around, symbolizing both the frustration of women and the powerful hand of the patriarchy controlling our every move. The arms I wrap around myself are the bonds of societal pressures and expectations that I then throw off myself. The following movement is meant to resemble the motion of being shot, a tribute to the women around the world who put their lives at risk for simply speaking up. However, I do not fall all the way to the ground because women have proven that they never give up fighting for their rights even in the face of danger. The dance continues similarly. I will film myself performing the dance in various locations in various outfits and edit the clips together. The locations and costumes will reflect the emotions behind each section of the dance. As for who will be holding the camera, I do not know yet, but that person will remain consistent for each shot.
Goals
The goal of my artifact is to not only provide my own example of activist art, but also see the effect it has on its viewers. Is dance a motivating form of activism? A powerful or meaningful one? My hope is that my classmates can see my dance and be able to understand and recognize the emotions and passions behind the movements.