“From birth, Piper internally struggled with her identity. Claiming East Indian and African Quadroon, she took her issues with identity and racism and turned them into visual statements via photography, performance art, and video.” In Adrian Piper’s performance art presentation, she really addressed issues that were present in her society. I believe that this performance was to show the audience and witnesses what it is like to be senseless and how the human senses play a big part in an individual’s sense of self.
The main subject matter for this piece was Adrian’s body itself. Thus being said, her human body was the material that was used in the presentation. Piper took away all of her senses by blindfolding herself which took away her sense of sight. She wore long gloves which were meant to take away her sense of touch and feel. Also, she plugged her nose in order to take away her sense of smell. Once most of her senses were taken away, she walked around the town relying completely on her sense of self.
This presentation by Adrian piper reminds me of some of her other presentations, for example, her “Catalysis Series.” In this series of performance art, Piper staged a number of public performances on the subway and city streets that forced a confrontation between viewers and the artist’s body in various abject states. Doing these types of performances really forces the spectator to think about issues that are present in society.
"Letters to a Young Artist: Adrian Piper." Saatchi Online TV & Magazine. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
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