An Introduction to the Phenomenology of Performance Art: SELF/s

by T. J. Bacon

An accessible primer for art students or researchers new to phenomenology. 

This book introduces the study and application of performance art through phenomenology, inviting readers to explore contemporary performance art and activate their own practices. Using queer phenomenology to unpack the importance of a multiplicity of self/s, the book teaches readers how to be academically rigorous when capturing embodied experiences. Through approachable exercises, definitions of key phenomenological terms, and interviews and insights from some of the best examples of transgressive performance art practice, the work enriches the wider scholarship of theater studies. Situated within contemporary phenomenological scholarship, the book will appeal to radical artists, educators, and practitioner-researchers.

236 pages, Hardcover

Published July 20, 2022

About the author

Publishing under the name T. J. Bacon (she/they), Dr Tōmei June Bacon also creates artwork using the moniker "tjb." She is a is a trans-femme pansexual person with hidden disabilities. Her practice as an artist-philosopher foregrounds transgender studies and phenomenology, alongside queer theory, crip theory, disaster studies, and futures to consider visual art, performance art, activism and curation. She has exhibited internationally for over 20 years with a practice rooted in the elemental and esoteric. She is also the founder and artistic director of Tempting Failure which produces and supports international visual art, performance art and sonic art. She is currently Resident Researcher at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) London, and PhD Advisor with the Trans Art Institute. She is also the lead on the Queer Acts of Hope line of enquiry at the Guildhall De-Centre for Socially Engaged Practice & Research and founder of the Trans+ Virtual Centre of Excellence.