Reading week 7

Reading – Week 7

Jeffries, S. (2009) ‘Sophie Calle: stalker, stripper, sleeper, spy.’ Guardian. 23/09/09.

Stuart Jeffries

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·         This piece discusses Jeffries’ interview with Sophie Calle, a French conceptual artist. The interview began with her revealing her date of birth, then talking about her life for ten hours which was ‘unspeakably dull’. However, Jeffries highlights some of the most interesting points of the conversation, such as the roles and projects she took upon herself. Calle says she wanted to impress her father, who she did not know because she had been living with her mother and grandparents. Calle reveals controversial stories about Baudrillard, who faked her diploma so that she passed. This brings into question the morals of performance, and what to reveal in performance art.

·         The first project discussed results in The Sleepers, a photographic and textual form of documentary art. It began with Calle stalking people and following them during their day, which then moved on to Calle documenting visitors to her bed, the conversations and photos documenting friends and strangers who shared her bed. Calle didn’t think this was conceptual art until somebody asked her ‘Is this art? It could be.’

·         The second project has Calle follow a man to Venice and document his coming and going from a house. This resulted in a book called Suite Venitienne. These works were not intended as art, but it electrified the French art world.

·         Calle published a book called The Striptease, which included pictures and anecdotes of her stripper career. She admits to being a feminist who feared ‘being psychologically destroyed by the look of others.’ She stripped to make money, but refused to go into prostitution.

·         Her most controversial work Address Book had Calle photocopy a lost address book and return it to its owner, but to follow up the contacts to get an image of the owner. The project was published by a newspaper but the owner of the address book threatened to sue over invasion of privacy.

·         Calle plays with opposites, like control and freedom, choice and compulsion, intimacy and distance.

·         A piece of art was constructed around Calle’s trip to the North Pole where she buried her deceased mother’s photograph, diamond ring and Chanel necklace.

·         Calle wrote a book called Exquisite Pain which was catalysed by a series of painful breakups. It also included other people’s worst memories so that her pain seemed more bearable. Take Care Of Yourself was prompted too by a breakup of a relationship, which ended through an email ending ‘take care of yourself’. She invited 107 women to analyse this email and an art instillation concluded.

Calle brings into question ethics and morals in performance. Her art work is based on and around autobiographical experiences, but she reveals controversial stories, like Baudrillard helping her with her fraudulent diploma. She believes this is acceptable because he has now passed away, but it belittles any other diploma received from him. Also, stalking and stripping are controversial issues that she plays with, but with seemingly little regard for the victims of stalking. She names individuals in her work, and though it may be her personal experience that she is sharing with the world, she is also leaving these people vulnerable and exposed, such as the man she stalked and photographed who threatened to sue. Though her work might not be offensive or controversial, she names people involved in her life. There is a faint line in performance with regards to ethics and morals, and though Calle does not cross it, she toes the line repeatedly. This makes me question what and who to name or include in my own performance, and the ethical and moral implications of naming and portraying them.