Klemm’s Art as Performative Enactment talks about three concepts that ground performative art: play, symbol, and festival. As I read, I was reminded of one of my favorite slam poems, “Hir” by Alysia Harris and Aysha El Shamayleh (link below). Slam poetry can be as simple as poetry read aloud, but this poem also adds an element of physical performance. The first element that Klemm refers to, play, is evident here – the two performers stand back-to-back for most of the performance, showing Melissa and James as two parts of the same person, but also splitting apart and moving to stand next to each other when needed. This, I think, also embodies the symbol of the art – their performance acts as a visual representation of the meaning of their words. Klemm says, “What do we recognize in a work of art? We recognize the meaning of our being in the world.” While not everyone may relate directly to the poem (one would be hard-pressed to find any work of art that everyone relates to), everyone can recognize the meaning of it in relation to themselves. The final element, festival, is shown in two distinct ways here. First, the performance is taking place at a slam poetry competition, where people have gathered to celebrate, appreciate, and discuss the work itself; secondly, the location of the video itself on YouTube opens it to another audience and another set of viewpoints and discussions, albeit generally more vitriolic than the former.
The poem can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRLSgPQG0c4
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