Tableau Vivant...a bit more

(This is more about the piece from my this morning's entry.)

Okay, so... a “Tableau Vivant” is a living picture: an artistic picture or series of pictures made with live people, as opposed to being painted or sculpted or photographed; often tableaux vivants (that’s the plural) are recreations of pre-existing works of art.

Several examples (obviously, pictures of paintings & pictures of tableaux vivants based on them):

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat)

The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)

Olympia (Édouard Manet)

Girl with a Pearl Earring (Johannes Vermeer)

Vieja Friendo Huevos (Diego Velázquez)

The (too soon cancelled) TV show Arrested Development had an episode featuring an annual “Living Classics” pageant, in which families or groups would do tableux vivants.

The Creation of Adam (detail from The Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo)

Mrs Henderson Presents is a film about a theatre which did tableaux vivants.

The DeliriumConstructions is an ongoing photographic project by artist Sarah Small in which she explores emotional responses of bringing together unexpected people.

One example:

Pearl Ring (Sarah Small)

Tableau Vivant of the Delirium Constructions is a series of pieces that involve live musical performers/models/movers, some clothed and some nude. It’s a sort of extension of Sarah Small's photographic work intended to “celebrate humanity by representing a visual and sonic encyclopedia of the human condition.” (quote from http://www.livingpictureprojects.com/)

I think watching it on video (you can find a link in this morning’s entry) creates a distance from the piece which I assume wouldn’t be there if experienced live. I think it would be a really interesting thing to experience, as either a participant or an observer. Although, I suspect from what I’ve seen in the videos, I would desire more interaction and specificity from the performers.

I found myself wanting to know more about the various couples, groups, even individuals. What were their relationships? Why are some clothed and some not? What’s going on with this or that individual who seems very different from the others in some way or another?

I also think it would be really neat to put together some sort of performance not unlike hers, here where I live. I can’t imagine how I would find enough people who’d be willing to do it. Or a venue that didn’t cost a bunch o’ money to rent. Anyone?