For the purposes of this Arts Performance Review, I have viewed a piece of performance art titled Plastic Bag, which has been created in 2019 by Billie Posters. He is a video, print, and performance artist based in Sydney, Australia, who self-reportedly focuses on movement in his practice. The performance that I have viewed on November 27, 2022, is available on the author’s YouTube channel.
The piece features the artist in undress performing a dance with a rather large empty plastic bag. He interacts with the bag in multiple ways: sometimes dragging it along the floor, sometimes punching it with audible groans, sometimes hugging it gently. The choice of plastic as a prop could have been purely aesthetic or based on the unique properties of plastic, such as softness; an environmentalist reading seems the most interesting. By showcasing its different uses—it can be punched, wrapped, or dragged on the floor—and ending up choked by it, the artist depicts humanity’s relationship with plastic.
The most impressive part of the performance was the plastique of the artist. While moving, the artist’s movements are erratic and rather resemble the aimless ebbs of a plastic bag in the wind. The performance culminates in the artist putting the bag on himself, gradually losing oxygen, after which he struggles to get out of the bag. It looks very believable; the tension is palpable in the air during this scene. In the end, the artist crushes the plastic bag in his fist and presses it to his heart, looking into the eye of the camera.
Regarding the technical and visual choices for the performance, they seem to be intentionally limited in order to draw attention to the dance. The scene is empty and lit with an intense purple light. There is no music, and sometimes the viewer can hear the grunts and inhales of the artist, which is especially impressive during the choking scene. Therefore, the minimalist setting makes the performance stark and memorable.
To conclude, I found myself drawn into the dance, especially in its later half, which felt engaging and tense. It has definitely resonated with me, considering the environmental anxiety that permeates the air nowadays. Additionally, the aesthetic value of the performance is also not to be understated. This choice of a theme in combination with the masterful physical performance made me share this piece with some of my friends.