SANS GRAVITY,
Nao Bustamante, 1:40, 2000
Using
the body as a source of image, narrative and emotion, my performances
communicate on the level of subconscious language. I disarm the audience
with a sense of vulnerability, only to confront them with a startling
wake up call. For Sans Gravity I made a performance action in which I
submerged my head into a plastic bag filled with water, which I then taped
tightly onto my neck. At this point I sat upright with a miniature “Houdini
tank” on my head. Meditating on the moment in which I would free
myself to survive this self imposed dilemma. This creates a real and urgent
situation to respond to, which in turn elicits response from the viewer.
It also is a filter from the outside; a precarious peacefulness.--NB
Nao Bustamante <bustan@rpi.edu> is an internationally known performance art pioneer originating from the San Joaquin Valley of California. Her work encompasses performance art, installation, video, pop music and experimental rips in time. Bustamante's work has been presented, among other sites, at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts, and the Kiasma Museum of Helsinki. She has performed in Galleries, Museums, Universities and underground sites throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico and of course the United States. In 2001 she received the prestigious Anonymous Was a Woman fellowship. Currently she is living in Troy, New York and an assistant professor of New Media and Live Art at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute.
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