I
haven't quite iigured out what to moke of ott ot oppropriotion? Co-optotion? I'd hqve on eosiei fime deconstructing this phenotnenon if if were rich whifg people sporfing a new trendy Asian theme. There
this. Is it
definifely is evidence of Asiqn populority in the (lorgeiy white) rnoinsfreom. There's Madonnq of course. who chants in Sonskrit on her lotesf clbum, ond for the record I do think thot's fucked up. There's also 'Mulon,' bomboo-
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cnd-velvet thongs, Sonrio ond other Joponese onime. ond the trendy Free Tibet movehenf thofs got Brad Pitt and nll the rrrh!tr" nrrnk ro"kens nnd olternakids "politicol.' 5
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'
deolt frustroted thqt rqce qnd culture we?e nevet fully obout I wroie poper finol my with in the clossroom. 5o for
of the the "performdnce, representotion ond co-optotion
'Other"'.
It begins:
uOfhar' is perforned and represented is an^ orfisf inporfant lhene lhat deserves discussion' l'l/hen an a or a subiecf to revolve his or her work around "hoo"."nof within his or her own communi*y' what are fhe i*pb 'ipti"otionsz Do these perfornances evoke co'opfafion ond fhe oppropriafion-a neocolonial relationsh ip between Other? centered artist and lhe obiecfified How lhe
i .o^" to tha conclusion
thaf yes,
ii
is often problemcti:
when ospects.of "the dark Other" ore incorporofed into performances, like when performonce ortist Schneemon (who just hoppens to be o Bord gndd' Hohl) smeors herself with red point ond colls it o "shomonic
cgF:/Sj.. '''
rituol."'The problem comes when Othered communities are misrepresented,fetishized into o single ospect of their identity, and/or objectified, ond when ihe power differencesbelweenthe performer ond the performed are in not criticolly exomined. The performonces con be ploced hooks' in bell a "contemporory norrotive of irnperiolism," words [check out her essoy "Eoting the Other" in Block
Looksl. The some goes for white ki!1spo'"ti4 dresdlocks OiTim";;f ah@G/JoPanese/wloteveFifqroctursond called conot knowing the significonce oid meanings" It's it! to used 6et optotion, filks! Aplropriotionl . But whot hoppens when o rwrgina.lized/Othered
:
perforner performs c Doninqnt identity? An exonple would be inthe fihn "Paris is Burning, " in which working-
closs and poor Africon-Atnericon ond Latino goy men perforrn os upper-clcss heteroiexuol white men and women SCANNNED BY POC ZINE PROJECT poczineproject.tumblr.com poczineproject@gmail.com