13.3 Documentation and Instructions as Artistic Signs

Conceptual artists use documentation and instructions as artistic signs to challenge traditional notions of art. These practices shift focus from physical objects to ideas, processes, and language, blurring lines between artist, performer, and audience.

Documentation and instructions in conceptual art serve as semiotic signs, representing ephemeral works and allowing for their circulation. This approach raises questions about authenticity, reproduction, and the relationship between original artworks and their representations.

Performance and Instructional Art

Scripts and Scores as Artistic Mediums

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  Algorithmic Art: Chromatic Forest by tangent128 on DeviantArt View original

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  The Unplayable Score: Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz – John Stump – SOCKS View original

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  Fluxus Manifesto (1963) - George Maciunas (1931 - 1978) | Flickr View original

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  Algorithmic Art: Chromatic Forest by tangent128 on DeviantArt View original

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  The Unplayable Score: Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz – John Stump – SOCKS View original

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Top images from around the web for Scripts and Scores as Artistic Mediums

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  Algorithmic Art: Chromatic Forest by tangent128 on DeviantArt View original

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  The Unplayable Score: Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz – John Stump – SOCKS View original

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  Fluxus Manifesto (1963) - George Maciunas (1931 - 1978) | Flickr View original

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  Algorithmic Art: Chromatic Forest by tangent128 on DeviantArt View original

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  The Unplayable Score: Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz – John Stump – SOCKS View original

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• Performance scripts provide written instructions or dialogues for performers to follow during a live art performance, transforming the script itself into an artistic medium
• Event scores are brief, often poetic instructions for performers or participants to carry out actions or gestures, pioneered by artists like Yoko Ono and George Brecht in the Fluxus movement
• Algorithmic art instructions consist of sets of rules, steps, or formulas that define the process for creating an artwork, often used in computer-generated or generative art (Sol LeWitt's wall drawings)

Instructional Art as Conceptual Practice

• Instructional art involves providing written or verbal directions for others to execute an artwork, emphasizing the idea and process over the final product
• Shifts authorship and creative agency from the artist to the performer or participant following the instructions, challenging traditional notions of artistic control and originality
• Allows for multiple interpretations and variations of the same artwork based on how different individuals carry out the instructions (Do It exhibition curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist)
• Democratizes art-making by enabling anyone to realize an artwork by following the artist's instructions, blurring the lines between artist, performer, and audience

Documentation as Artistic Sign

Photographic Documentation as Representation

• Photographic documentation serves as a visual record and representation of ephemeral, performance-based, or site-specific artworks that cannot be easily collected or exhibited
• Allows for the circulation and dissemination of conceptual art practices beyond their original temporal and spatial contexts
• Raises questions about the relationship between the original artwork and its photographic representation, challenging the notion of the photograph as an objective, transparent document (Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty)

Archival Practices and Authenticity in Conceptual Art

• Archival practices involve collecting, organizing, and preserving documentation, artifacts, and records related to conceptual art practices and performances
• Certificate of authenticity is a document signed by the artist that verifies the originality and provenance of an artwork, serving as a legal and symbolic guarantee of its status as an authentic work
• Challenges traditional notions of artistic authenticity based on the artist's hand and the uniqueness of the art object, instead locating authenticity in the artist's idea and the documentation of its realization (Sol LeWitt's certificates)

Reproduction as Semiotic Sign

• Reproduction of conceptual art documentation through photographic prints, books, or other media serves as a semiotic sign that points to the original artwork or performance
• Raises questions about the ontological status of the reproduction in relation to the original artwork, blurring the boundaries between primary and secondary sources
• Allows for the commodification and circulation of conceptual art practices within the art market and institutional contexts, despite their often anti-commercial and dematerialized nature (Edward Ruscha's artist books)

Conceptual Art Publications

Artist Books as Conceptual Artworks

• Conceptual art books function as self-contained artworks that prioritize ideas, language, and information over traditional artistic media and techniques
• Serve as an alternative means of distributing and circulating conceptual art practices outside of gallery and museum contexts, reaching a wider audience
• Challenge the traditional format and function of the book as a linear, narrative medium, often employing experimental layouts, typography, and content (Lawrence Weiner's artist books)

Semiotic Value of Documentation in Publications

• Documentation of conceptual art practices in books, catalogs, and other publications serves as a semiotic sign that represents and interprets the original artwork or performance
• Provides a context and framework for understanding the conceptual and historical significance of the artwork, shaping its reception and interpretation by audiences
• Acts as a form of linguistic and visual translation that mediates between the artwork and the viewer, influencing how the work is perceived and valued within art discourse (Lucy Lippard's Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object)
• Contributes to the canonization and historicization of conceptual art practices, solidifying their place within art historical narratives and institutional collections (Seth Siegelaub's January 5–31, 1969 exhibition catalog)