UNLIMITED ACTION: Limits of Performance

What limits are imposed on performance, whether actively or tacitly, by institutions, form, tradition or by history? These limits may also be imposed by artists themselves as constructive boundaries with which to wrestle towards productive ends. How do artists comply with, reject, or overcome limits in the course of their work, or in its presentation, documentation, or dissemination? UNLIMITED ACTION: Limits of Performance was a one-day event at the Whitechapel Gallery, London on 28 May 2016. It brought together artists, curators and academics to explore questions around the theme of limits in performance – limits of the body, aesthetics, material conditions, institutional practices, pleasure, or desire. Speakers include performance historian Dominic Johnson and the artists Anne Bean, Nigel Rolfe and Ulay. The event was organised by Dominic Johnson (Queen Mary University of London), supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.