a presentation file for a lecture in PAS (Performance Art Study http://pas.bbbjohannesdeimling.de/) date: 03 March 2012 location: Gemaal op Zuid, Rotterdam supported by PAE (http://performanceartevent.nl/)

1. Object in performance art
Sakiko Yamaoka

2. Contents
1. Object as instrument
2. Human Body as object
3. Objects as Chaos

3. object as instrument
Object as instrument
For the lecture, I started to reflect my last works, and I found I often
have used “object” as “instrument”. They fell down on the floor and clash
and break or roll with nice sounds. Off course, not only for listening
sound, not only creating sculpture of time and space, but also as
metaphor of life, or something more......

4. object as instrument
Stand and Fall 1997~1998
material: mushrooms, strawberries,
my own body, a table,
a bowl,

5. object as instrument
Garden 2002~2004
video documentation
material :apples, oranges, grain, rice,
glass balls, bells,dolls, and clothes
space and time.
sound from body, various torture or
pleasure
represent by various sounds

6. object as instrument
Garden 2002∼2004
In this piece I covered my eyes because I wanted to concentrate and focus on listening to
sound.
Once I was so surprised to hear a particular sound. It was so impressive at that moment I
got the inspiration from it for my artwork. The sound was like an echo in my small
garden. I realized something truth that it was a moment at which a cicada just finished
his short life and fell down on the dry earth. I had never thought before that even a small
cicada had weight. I also found that all of nature's material must have a different
impressive sound when it falls. All are different. In different time, different space, their
sounds are different. We can listen to them clearly.

7. object as instrument
Listen! 2003
video documentation
material: a orange, heart beats,
metronome, human bodies,
a large table, 2chairs

8. object as instrument
Listen! 2003
It is about the association between weight and sound and lives. I invited the audience to
listen to one another’s heartbeats. This piece might seem very friendly on the surface. But
to be honest, I got the inspiration and planned this piece when I heard an interview with a
Japanese person who had survived lying under a pile of corpses of people who had been
shot while trying to escape from China to Japan during the Second World War. I imagined
that if these dead people on top of him had been alive during that time, they must have
listened to one another's heartbeats and smelt one another’s sweat. The sound of so many
heartbeats together would have created some interesting rhythms and harmony, if they
had been alive.

9. object as instrument
Wind form Sky 2008~2010
video docmentation
material : plastic cups, glass cups,
ceramic cups,
ceramic plates,
coffee, wine, water,

10. human body as object
Human body as object
Around since 2004, in Pacific ocean nature have become very active.
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004 killed more than 230.000
people.
in 2007, I was invited by an artist from Indonesia, here had earthquake in
May 2006. After one year later, he and his friends decided to have an art
festival in a village, where is near his home town, which was not only art
but also traditional dance show and scientistic conference about
changing nature. He wrote us, “please use only material which you can
find in the village.” His instruction gave me nice inspiration. I did not
know what there have in the village, but at least there have “people”.
Not only their bodies, my interest is their sense and thinking and
culture, also.

11. human body as object
We are Elegant
2007~2012
video documentation
Material : Human Bodies

12. human body as object
We Are Elegant 2007~
What I did was interview with the village people and made an art piece with them.
It was about what appropriate action was needed for the 21st century. I said that
the 20th century had been too aggressive. We often raised our fists up to the sky.
Then I asked them what kind of gesture or body stance would be suitable for this
century. Now that we are in the 21st century, we would be friendly and elegant, I
think.
For now and the future, we did a performance together. In our search for a gesture
to represent "elegant", we were a little awkward and felt embarrassed. It was nice
work with people.

13. human body as object
workshop in Public Space :Navels of the world 2006
photo slide show
Material:
stomaches of street men,
some seal about US president
and Japanese prime minister
and Mayer of Yokohama,
Pen with words,
flower and some decoration

14. human body as object
Best Place to sleep
2007~
video documentation
Material : my human body

15. human body as object
Best Place to Sleep 2007~
This is a guerrilla performance of sleep in real banks, especially in booths
containing ATMs. I took photos and documented it on video. Spaces in banks
are private, not public. But they have the money we have saved and also public
money, the taxes we have paid to the Government. Therefore, if our bodies
belong to the Government, I think we should be able to spend a little bit of time
and utilize the space in banks. Why shouldn’t we? I enjoy and like to explore
the juxtaposition of a lazy human body and a hard machine that never sleeps.
I performed this in Japan, Thailand, Germany, Canada and the U.S.A and
more......

16. human body as object
Come with Me
2008~2009
video documentation
Material : human bodies

17. human body as object
Come with Me 2007~
This piece is a kind of participation version of "Best Place to Sleep". We worked at
not only banks but also traffic intersections or in railway stations, rather say in
public space. We also performed the piece in the Museum of Fine Art, Boston,
U.S.A. These performances should I say, "out of fun" and the participants enjoy
doing them.

18. human body as object
Love or Not
2010
video documentation
Material : Human Bodies
Traffic signal

19. human body as object
Mono-raru 2011
2files of photo slide
Laboratory project in Tokyo
without any material, only space and lights
worked with some local artists
Material : Human Bodies

20. Object as Chaos
Object as Chaos
I want to develop my visual sense for “beauty”. Especially after I saw huge
garbage problem, which is called “Gareki” in Japanese words, of the
disaster in 11th March 2011, they all are from a lot of personal perfect
lives. For the first some months after it, they were rather say sentimental
object for me, and later it is getting to become some kind of “beauty”.
What is beauty? which is what we want to watch very much. Probably it
is not only because from natural crisis, economic crisis also influence to
me.
Fine art must be self-righteous world, but could you keep it? We could
not be coolness for all of issue in “street”. Everything are quickly effected
by what is happened . Performance art must be most high conscious tool
for human life, mustn’t it?
Let’s go out from gallery to watch our lives, to test our artist’s spirits!!

21. Object as Chaos
“Gareki” after the Tsunami 2011

22. Object as Chaos
Refuge Camp as object in Japan 2011

23. Object as Chaos
Demonstration March ”Occupy”2011~

24. Object as Chaos
Snapshots of Garbage on streets 2012

25. Object as Chaos
Performance work
Smiling Nature : Left to Us 2012