Performance-The Creation of Identity

The concept of identity is constructed by the ‘acts’ played out in ones life. Judith Butler, in the article, Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory discusses the significance of acts in ones perception of self. Perception plays a significant role in establishing societal ‘norms or taboos’, which contribute to determining ones identity.

Embodiment is an ‘active process’; a sense of being. The concept of embodiment is filled with possibilities, engages in interactions with others, as well as takes action independently. However, as people do not live in isolation, neither is the action completed in solitude. As humans we never fully determine ourselves, as history plays a significant role in establishing how we define our self.

In the discussion of gender, as a sense of body, one can not exclude the discussion of appearance, as well as the physical attribute, which establishes one’s gender, in society. The identification of gender, in the context of the model of phenomenology model ignites a discussion of cultural identity, in general. Identity is a created reality, whether referring to gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. This creation occurs when the immediate culture and those in the periphery have defined the ‘norm’. However, defining ones self also includes the perception of others. The body is considered a boundary and gender is a construction.

The contemporary artist Yinka Shonibare, MBE does not address issues of gender identification, but instead the performative acts of defining national and racial identity. Shonibare, spent the formative years in Lagos, Nigeria. Eventually he relocated to London to earn his BFA and MFA. This is significant because he doesn’t feel he can be identified as African or European. He uses the “African” cloth to discuss themes of a created sense of being African, via wearing the imported batik style cloth. The wearing of the cloth is apart of the performance of establishing one’s identity on the continent and abroad. This would not be successful if the historical and societal norms didn’t pre-exist. The use of cloth demonstrates the theatrical performance of acts and the acceptance of the ‘audience’ and appropriating other cultural traditions for their own. Performance acts of feminism and gender can be played on life’s stage. Like Shonibare, the audience has to be an active participant in the performance of identity creation.