Paper short abstract:

By using performing art as a visual representation, life can be created by a human to embody the spirit of a missing artifact. The Parthenon Marbles act as a case study for how performing art could serve as a living alternative to traditional visual representations of missing cultural artifacts.

Paper long abstract:

Archival evidence such as film or photos have served as "replacements" for the loss of cultural artifacts. There is debate as to if these visual representations can equal the loss of the original object. As museum objects have been removed from their original cultural context, it seems that the museum functions as a tomb where the life of the cultural object has come to an end. Theodor Adorno stated that museums functioned as a mausoleum for dead artifacts. (Adorno 2006) As such, how can an object be represented in such a way that it gains a second life when the artifact itself is not physically present? How do you relate the history of the artifact along with modern history of its continued absence due to colonialist conquests? By bringing in an aspect of performing art as a visual representation, life can be created by a human to embody the spirit of the missing object. In the 1800s, Emma Hamilton's performance of The Attitudes were revolutionary as they embodied the spirit of ancient Greek artifacts.(Fothergill 1969) She used theatrical movement and dance to recreate scenes from Greek vases.(Good 2018) Can this same idea be applied in a modern setting and what historical inspirations can we draw from to create an alternative living representation? Using the Parthenon Marbles as a case study for how performance art could be incorporated, this paper examines the possibilities of using performance art as a living alternative to traditional visual representations of missing cultural artifacts.