Annie Abrahams

Annie Abrahams
Born	1954 (age 61–62) Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Education	University of Utrecht, Academy of Fine Arts Arnhem

Annie Abrahams (born 1954) is a Dutch performance artist specialising in video installations and internet based performances which also consist of collective writings and derives from collective interaction. Born and raised in Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands, she migrated and settled in France in 1987.^[1] Her performance work challenges and questions the limitations and possibilities that are implicated when internet users communicate from one to another by the use of new media known as cyberformance.

Life and career

She was born in a small farmer's village in the Netherlands. Annie has received a doctorate from the University of Utrecht for biology with the additional degree from the Academy of Fine Arts Arnhem.

Brought into a world of agriculture, her academic pathway led her to becoming internationally known for her contribution and pioneering of networked performance art and collective writing experiments. After succeeding her doctorate in 1980 she was assigned as an assistant researcher amongst the University. Her enthusiasm for the arts still continued after teaching biology and received a diploma in 1987 for her paintings which was then later recognised by the Dutch government with their proposal of grant offerings over the next two years while she studied and moved to France. Whilst migrating to France she developed her ability to utilise and use software/applications on a computer to help enhance and construct installations based on the complexities of her paintings ^[1] In 1992 her computer drawings were exhibited in her show Possibilities located at the l'espace Forum in Nice, France. From 1996 Abraham delved further into network performance with the emphasis on space and distance social networking entails by creating a physical space to interact with the 'virtual world' in a show in Nijmegen. She develooped a website called Being Human with net art works she described as performative interventions in the public space of loneliness = the Internet. (1997–2007). She taught at the University of Montpellier as part of the arts department from 2002 till 2005.

InstantS, Breaking Solitude and Double Blind (2002–2005)

Abrahams from 2002 till 2005 taught in the arts department at the University of Montpeiller to then later curate InstantS for panopile.org (2006 to January 2009), Breaking Solitude and Double Blind further web performances that took place in 3 consecutive years (2007, 2008 and 2009) ^[1]

2005

In 2005 she continues to explore computer functions, telematic performance and visitor choices in developing new visitor behaviours when presented with artworks concerning with an appreciation of beauty through contemplation and observation of its aesthetic details (see Separation, Painsong, Karaoke). In a 2005 interview by ARTeMEDIA she makes reference to her biological educational background and her engagement with social networking, she compares the new and continuously developing form of social networking to the engagement and communication skills of monkeys in her studies concluding the potential of the internet as a universal platform for a new mass of interactivity modalities ^[2]

Abrahams like most performance artists also engage in what traces are left behind from the performance on a personal level as well as generating a new collaborative voice Her projects from 2006; a performance and art based on the text "iamanartwork/jesuisuneoeuvredart", Summer 2006 with Clement Charmet The Webflaneur; "a Data Dandy trip"^[3] and in December 2006 in collaboration with Igor Stromajer operra internettikka.^[4]

Being Human (1997–2007)

Furthermore, she continued to develop the notion of networked performances with an ongoing project entitled "Being Human" ^[5] exploring the capabilities participants can have in developing relationships on the net whilst in the comfort of their own personal space. This continued from 1996 to 2007. Abraham's performance work engages and intersects with the physical space and networking technologies, allowing the ability to produce new creative mediums, spaces and artworks such as; networked performances, net.art pieces, installations, videos and collecting writing projects.^[6] "Being Human" attempts to outline the capabilities and the restriction network communication can bring this has been exhibited and formatted in various forms of new media from video festivals and shows internationally.

From 2007 her work delves and contextualises how people react and form relationships in dispersed groups, outlined in 'Huis Clos / No' ^[7] and 'Angry Women'.^[8] She also collaborates with a number of artists as well as the participants for each network performance these include; Mark River, MTAA, Nicolas Frespech, Igor Stomajer and Antye Greie. Her interactive performances often follow a desired 'footprint left in the sand' imprinted and left by the duration of the piece as well as formulating and creating a collective language from many different ethnicities and identities of individuals. With the key factor of investigation revolves around the notion of human behaviour when presented with a new interactive archive of networked based performance she explores how participants 'click' and 'choosing' opportunities to create new behaviours and perhaps a new way of thinking, for example a personal interaction without any interference from peers 'ViolenceS'.^[9]

Double Blind (love) (2009)

Double Blind (love) performance in collaboration with Curt Cloninger present a telepresence performance with no duration set having this as their first encounter in real life. They are both located in different locations Abrahams being in the Living Room in France and Cloninger from Black Mountain College Museum and Arts centre^[10] Both performers will be repeatedly singing to each other through real time/space and through online social networking the words "love, love, love" taken from a song. They are both blindfolded to create a sense of isolation within the space they are confined to and allows them to connect with the other. They continue to sing until one of them decides to halt both video projections are shown to each other as well as having a designated space for audience members to watch both screens. The performance was made visible on Selfworld.net and audience members were invited to see it in a live performance space. The cameras took a video and audio closeup of them singing.

If Not You Not Me (2010)

Her first 2010 network performance in the UK, If Not You Not Me was located at the HTTP gallery in London incorporated previous projects such as the One the Puppet of Other (2007) and The Big Kiss (2008) with its central communicative medium entitled Shared Still Life/Nature Morte Partagée ^[11] The exhibition held the event entitled Shared Still Life/Nature Morte Partagée which was centralized with a telematic still life for mixed media and LED message board. Participants were given the opportunity to communicate with those at Kawenga – territoires numériques, situated in the media arts centre in Montpellier, France where they played and rearranged objects in still life whilst sending messages between each other ^[12]

On the 12 February, On Collaboration Graffiti Wall combining text and audio communication participants refeflect on the problesm that persist in online collaboration operated on a tailored website for the exhibition. This documentation and reflection were displayed to additional participiants throughout the duration of the exhibition. Subsequently, Huis Clos/No Exit – Jam a sequel from an earlier telematic performance event challenged the reception of auditory information through collaborating to create a sound performance using webcams from across the world in which played throughout the exhibition ^[12]

In a review written by Maria Chatzichritodulou she comments on how it's minimal use of physical objects gave it a sort of 'nakedness' whilst creating a still life piece of artwork from stationery and office equipment. Although, as outlined by Chatzichristodoulou there have been similar more technologically complex performances such as Hole-In-Space ^[13] using satellite technologies and the imposing advances of internet telephony protocols such as the application Skype used by many in today's age. If Not You not Me emphasises the physical surroundings and the implication of a durational performances can add to creating still life artworks by simplifying the technology to a simple screen and webcam. It also initiates a technological and physical exchange between participants as well as recognising a disconnection from an intangible corporeal reality shared by fellow active audience members. This performance event also included On Collaboration Graffiti and Graffiti Wall' establishing traces of collaborative work (written, sound and video messages) that imposed on the subsequent live installations.

Huis Clos/No Exit – On Collaboration & Jam (2010)

Annie challenges the dramatic orderings in her web performance of Huis Clos/No Exit – On Collaboration situated in CNES La Chartreuse in early 2010 for 6 performers whom became accustomed to reading material, illustrations that symbolized and depicted computer monitors. The purpose was to make the creation come to life through the performers. With the title pertaining to a theatrical terms as a claustrophobic piece of Satre, Abrahams integrates the virtual world and the performance device at a distance through the visual and audio recordings of a webcam clustered together to create a split screen. The objective of the piece was to test the levels of intimacy that can be gained from webcam sessions through a task based activity. The performers are then asked to create a single human face using the entire video frame of the webcams made up of skins and bodies evoking a sense of unity and intimacy despite the singular audio and visual capture of one performer ^[14]

This methodology of performance was then adapted and re-performed on a smaller scale with 4 performers instead of 6. As part of the festival based in London If Not You Not Me at the HTTP Gallery in London (12 February till 20 March 2010) it enhanced the notion of traces from previous events.^[15] The adaptation is entitled as Huis Clois/No Exit – Jam in this adaptation the 4 performers Antye Greie (Finland), Pascale Gustin (France), Helen Varley Jamieson (New Zealand) and Maja Kalogera (Spain) were given the task to synchronize sound together whilst competing with the technological constraints like time delay when transferring from peer to peer. As part of the whole exhibition in London Abrhams uses the technologies that are made accessible to society and communicates the factors that create a 'disconnection' in amongst a live video/sound collaboration. This fragmented connection between peers in both the virtual and real words consequently generates a fragmented intimacy, frustrations of connectivity (real-time application), shared absences and the desperation to connect from a distance as well as the body's needs of relieving sensual longing in regards to corporeal reality ^[16]

2012

In a questionnaire in 2012 she stated her reasons for studying biology in a quest to find answers about herself and the world she is living in however, this proved indecisive and pursued in creating artworks that taught her how to live and what to do in life with what is presented ^[17] The internet is her daily life and her new social engagement with the internet allows her to interweave; iteration, producing glitches, connection resistance (through buffering and dis/reconnection), sending information, and recognizing holes in the time space continuum. Abrahams believes Sherry Turkle's description of how we hide behind technology instead of engaging in more direct and intimate relationships with people; for example, using smart phones to avoid a direct communication with that person in her book Alone Together.^[18] Abrahams also states how social networking media such as Facebook allow us to become more open and that we should cherish and reveal this 'messy' side within us to find room for the beast in this divergent exchange of information expressed and delivered in her exercises for Huis Clos/No Exit installations on how cyberformance reveals intimacy ^[17] Her performances continue to reveal human behaviours that we consciously or perhaps subconsciously try to avoid.

Angry Women (April 2012)

Next she delved into a female orientated interactive performance entitled Angry Women in which embarked on an emotional journey and an opportunity for women to express and share their inner frustrations along with Abrahams as the facilitator connect via webcams ^[8] In total 24 participants took part in the installation with the condition to remain on camera to all participants, as commented by Abrahams the performance also tested the cultural barriers between women. The webcam conversations were also presented on a 3x4 grid in a '^' shape from the audience perspective and the duration of the piece continued until there was a minute silence. Martina Rumsam was an audience member at the time, the piece lasted 264 minutes in total. A subsequent performance of Angry Man took place on the 12 April 2012 in Labomedia Orleans. The Angry Women took in total of 5 'Takes' each with different participants.^[19]

November 2012

Abrahams is preparing a visit to Scarborough to engage with the students of the Applied and Interactive Theatre on 6 November by giving a talk on her contributions to cyberformances. Subsequently, she is also providing workshops for the University of Hull, Scarborough Campus entitled Rooiekop based on the prescribed insults in society at present, categorising them, inventing new ones and acting them out. In addition to this workshop she will be re-enacting segments of TafelLaken focusing on the experience gathered and expressed through others mediated by technology using video-streaming techniques in which questions Is it different? Does it change the relation? The power? the effective impact? Assimilated through collective and personal comparison metaverse.

Snotlap 2013

Snotlap originated in Dutch terminology and is defined as a word for handkerchief used when Abraham was a child to insult schoolmates. This was catalysed by recent attempts to feel insulted from the meta-event Trouble in Brussels to be later known as Tafellaken^[20] This performance aims to create an offensive space directed against Abrahams as she stands behind a microphone with a webcam straight in front of her with a second webcam filming her interaction with the former camera, the recording of the second camera will project alongside the first webcam recording projected onto one screen and gradually although distant from each other will slowly draw closer together so the disparities between the both images actually become one image that makes it difficult to differentiate them both. Her articulations will be somewhat dissimilar to her actual voice and will only recite single offensive words as a machine, no emotion or intonation. In her statement she clarifies the objectives of the piece consisting of discussions and issues about power relations, gender, childhood and fathers, taboos, control, resistance, about transcending interdictions and delivery.

References