Inebriationism: Alcohol, performance and paradox

Alcohol has acquired unprecedented prominence in art and performance during the last two decades. Drinking in the art context is more than just entertainment, it is an embodied practice, but with an edge: alcohol's potency renders it a paradoxical consciousness-altering agent, capable of creati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Performance research 2017-08, Vol.22 (6), p.26-42
Main Author: Drobnick, Jim
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Alcohol has acquired unprecedented prominence in art and performance during the last two decades. Drinking in the art context is more than just entertainment, it is an embodied practice, but with an edge: alcohol's potency renders it a paradoxical consciousness-altering agent, capable of creating feelings of cordiality as well as releasing chaotic energies. This article analyses the performativity of alcohol from a threefold perspective: drinking as a performance methodology to produce artworks, events and behavioural states; alcohol as an inherently performative substance that is both the product of transformation (fermentation and distillation) and a transforming (intoxicating) beverage for those who consume it; and alcohol as a relational performance medium through its role in lubricating sociality, which is especially manifested in the burgeoning phenomenon of 'artists' bars' appearing in numerous exhibitions, museums and art fairs. By focusing on the performativity of alcohol in recent videos, process-based artworks, performances and participatory installations, this article explores how embodied encounters can combine pleasure with contemplation to address complex social and political issues.
ISSN:1352-8165
1469-9990
DOI:10.1080/13528165.2017.1412644