Adam Art Gallery Seminar Series: ‘Bruce Barber's Projective Scores’ by Stephen Cleland

By Kari Schmidt

In the second iteration of the Adam Art Gallery's 2015 seminar series (July 30), Curator Stephen Cleland discussed his research into Bruce Barber's practice and in particular a series of 'projective scores' or plan-based drawings Barber designed for a number of his performance art pieces. Barber was one of the key figures in the post-object art era in New Zealand in the 1970s and his work includes performances such as Bucket Action (1973-74), where the artist made his way through an obstacle course whilst blind-folded in order to transfer fish from one bucket to another. 

The ‘scores’ Cleland discussed consist of instructions for, as well as graphic delineations of how three land-based performances within a trilogy of land-based works would take place. These include Whatipu Beach Performance (1973), Mt. Eden Crater Performance (1973) and Projected Performance for a Lake (1973, 2008). Cleland's work has been to unearth this documentation and present these scores as art objects in their own right, in an exhibition towards his PG Dip in Fine Arts at Auckland University. They will also be shown in the Adam Art Gallery at the end of the year.

Image 1. Whatipu Beach Performance, 1973 (photo courtesy of Stephen Cleland).

Image 2. Whatipu Beach Performance, 1973 (photo courtesy of Stephen Cleland).

Image 3. Mount Eden Crater Performance, 1973 (photo: Michael Lett Gallery).

Image 4. Mt Eden Crater Performance (1973), ink on paper. Courtesy of the Bruce Barber Archive, E H McCormick Research Library, Auckland Art Gallery, Toi o Tāmaki

What fascinates me is the highly conceptual nature of this kind of work – the central idea of the performance exists as a locus from which its various manifestations originate, whether that be the physical acting out of the performance, video or photographic documentation of it, or drawings outlining the action of the performers. For example, Projected Performance for a Lake involved the artist and a number of volunteers on a boat, travelling in a triangular direction and dropping off participants at various points, whilst linking them via the use of yellow tape. This performance was unadvertised and Cleland was the only audience member. He was also unexpectedly roped into the action of rowing the boat. In this way, Barber's work focuses on process over conventional narrative or final product. The result is a work, which, in Cleland's words, allows for a "phenomenological reading, heightening your perception of the environment." 

Then there are the 'scores' - Cleland considered that these "could serve as unactivated [pieces] within the lineage of conceptual art", comparable to the role of text in Fluxus activities. For example, in John Cages 4'33", which was highly influential to Fluxus artists such as George Brecht and Yoko Ono, there exists a musical score, consisting of rests with non actual music to be played, as well as a textual set of instructions as to how to perform the piece. This is an "alternative anchor point for incorporating text into a conceptual work” and is especially helpful for understanding the nature of the work in that the drawings give you a holistic perspective on the performance. In contrast, it’s difficult to understand the over all action via photographs, video, or even the live performance itself.

Image 5. Bruce Barber, Projected Performance for a Lake (2008), (photo: stephencleland.net).

Image 6. A projected performance for a lake (1973), ink - jet print on archival paper (photo: stephencleland.net).

Such pieces are usually looked upon as having secondary status, as compared to the 'real' work of art - either the performance itself, or photographs and video documenting its occurrence. Cleland's exhibiting of these scores brings this hierarchy into question and in this sense also highlights a more authorial approach to curatorial practice where curators can play a more collaborative role in exhibiting an artist's work, in terms of deciding what is secondary or primary. In this way, the exhibiting of these works acts as "a mode of institutional critique” – are these works evidence of Barber's practice, or art objects in their own right? And how does this reflect the values and perspectives of art institutions, in what they will allow? Significantly, the projected scores of the performances pieces are also especially beautiful - laboriously crafted by Barber, they can be approached as drawings. In this way there is an ontological instability to these works, which has significant implications for what art can be and how we can approach conceptual art in particular.

The exhibition and analysis of these works evidences the ability of Cleland to approach art objects and curating from a lateral perspective, and to establish a discussion around works that feels surprising and productive.