It was a bit of a surprise last month to learn that Michael Stone's potentially murderous appearance at Stormont was, by his reckoning, performance art - see report here. And Circa has reported in the past on Stone's artistic credentials - read here.
Today, the Northern Ireland-based performance grouping Bbeyond issued the following statement:
The Committee of Bbeyond have issued the following response to Michael Stone's statement that his Stormont action was 'Performance Art':
In our view it was not art, of any kind. It stemmed from erroneous, egotistical self-delusion and was exposed as a backfiring publicity stunt, self indulgent and utterly self obsessed. Now we see an attempt to capitalize on the publicity and to justify the action, re-branding it 'art'.
To us, art is the demonstrated wish and will TOWARD resolving inner/outer conflict, be it 'spiritual', religious, political, personal, social, cultural, or any inter fusion of these. This may, as well as using positive means, sometimes incorporate negative-seeming, equivocal, and/or cathartic imagery, but as part of an underlying process directed toward self/other (societal) 'healing'.
We know the 'Peace Process' is flawed, but it's in 'progress', however interminably halting. Whatever nudges it forward is beneficial. Whatever hinders and disrupts it further, without offering (a) more positive solution, is not.
There's so-called art ...and art. What's green may not be grass. We know a fake when we see it.
Yours sincerely
Brian Connolly
Chairman
Bbeyond
c/o Flaxart Studios,
44-46 Corporation St,
Belfast BT1 3DE.
Email: beyond@europe.com
Tel: (028) 90234300,
Mobile 079680 43871
