Review of Transvoyeur Webcam Performance Art Platform, Part of 39 Art Day.
Written by Jean-Paul DeBuffet and Lucia Andrea Sweeney (Edited by Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney).
Photographs by Tony Knox and Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney.
Wednesday 14 March 2007.

On Friday 9th March 2007, part of the 'I Love 39 Thank You Art Day', a performance art platform was conceived by Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney to present a series of live art by artists from Transvoyeur via MSN Messenger and webcam. This included work from Agata Alcaniz, Jo Derbyshire, Tony Knox, George Lund, Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney and Andrew Taylor.

The objective of this alternative and innovative platform was to enable an international audience via the internet and to coincide with the initiative by a Germany-based Japanese artist, Yoshiaki Kaihatsu (www.yoshiakikaihatsu.com).

In Japanese, 'thank you' rhymes with 3/9 (san-kyuu), because there is no 'th' sound in Japanese and the Japanese people tend to pronounce 'th' as 's'. Thus, the Day of 39 Art on March 9. Kaihatsu conceived this idea to encourage people in the arts and culture to say 'thank you' through a process of cultural appreciation. 39 Art Day (Thank You Art Day) is a special day to appreciate, promote, and otherwise positively engage ourselves in contemporary art worldwide.

The activities throughout Liverpool, Merseyside and surrounding areas have been supported through the media platform of Art in Liverpool with Ian Jackson and Minako Jackson.

The process of the live art was one were the viewer via messenger and a webcam were presented with an exclusive performance. Each performance was presented to only one viewer making the relationship one more intimate. This personalized approach adopted by the artists was to denote the principles of sincerity when expressing notions of appreciation, which relate back to the theme of the 'I Love 39'.

The nature adopted by the performance platform was to re-address the parameters of the temporal and spatial concepts of live art and how this is experienced. How the words are redefined by cultural linguistics and meaning, so too is sensory experiences by the audience removed and determined by the intervention of technology and the internet. Moreover, by adapting the function of MSN Messenger, which in itself is designed for communication, but re-applied for creative expression.

The performances were varied and the audience international with viewers logging in from across the globe to receive a performance only for their eyes. The live art was diverse and extensive over a four-hour period between 1.00pm to 4.00pm the viewers could log in. The process of selection was �first come first served�. Each performance was mediated by 'The Administrator' who introduced and guided the viewer through each performance.

Lund did several renditions and variations of his alter ego the Funkadelic Chicken. He danced live for the pleasures of the viewer, hyper-style, followed by satire of slapstick comedy. Knox posed as Moth Man, the Hero, to other creative explorations of the categorization of the artist 'boxed', as a commentary on the canonization of art and the artist. The performance by Sweeney ranged from encapsulating herself in tape to manifestation of cable television 'Chat to Girls', but the only conversation was to advise on web links for a shopping list. Prostitution Belgium style in the window of the webcam, but the solicitation of a web directory to explicate links for what was wanted to be purchased by the viewer.

Sweeney, Lund and Knox performed further performances conceived and directed by Alcaniz, Derbyshire and Taylor. Sweeney in the mode of a catwalk model paraded the couture of waste, while the viewer receive images via the net of text from 'Will Limits of Earth's Resources Control Human Numbers', an icon image of �No More Babies� (art image by Alcaniz and the music of Charles Ives 'Universe Symphony' played in the background. Lund orated the poetry of Taylor, which evolved into an explosion of expression. During this, an image of birds in the blue sky by Taylor was shown by Sweeney, who tore into strips and cascaded over Lund's head, as he read aloud. The monologue written by Derbyshire was read by Sweeney, while images of the Derbyshire's photographic urban and cultural research rotated on the viewers screen. To be absorbed in the visualizations of the artists and share in the experiences of Derbyshire 'When the City Speaks'.

During the window of the four-hour slot on MSN Messenger, these performances were repeated with changes influenced by the recipients� response and modes of intervention by the webcam. On the close of each performance, the role of 'The Administrator' would return and enquire "Did you enjoy 'your' performance?" and added "As an expression of our gratitude, we, Transvoyeur, present you with a 'Certificate of Appreciation'" (download 'Certificate of Appreciation'). A word document was then sent via MSN Messenger, which the viewer could download and add their name to.

The live art platform via this method was fascinating and captivated the recipients who were audience. Even for the artists this changed the relationship of what live art means in it actually terminology and creative experience.

For further events of Transvoyeur artists go to www.transvoyeur.co.uk