Ivan Civic interviewed by Andrés Galeano on the importance of performance

INTERVIEW WITH IVAN CIVIC

by Andrés Galeano

A. G. I´d like to talk with you about two of your last performances: Shedding time presented in October 2010 at Wüttenbergische Kunstverein Stuttgart and Wake for James Lee Byars presented in November 2010 at Grimmuseummm Berlin… I´d like that you explain us how you have documented these works and how do you use the documentation material when the performance is over. For example, let´s start with Shedding Time… I couldn´t be in Stuttgart at that time to see your work, but I followed your work trough you blog pictures and diary writings…

I document each minute of every work I make and perform since I began studying art back in 1999. I believe that performance art must be documented and kept for future reference, for the future generations to come and as a document that can be compared with future performances and developments in performance art to come. Not everything that is filmed will