Performance Magazine

Scope and Content

A UK-based European cross-artform journal and the key UK Live Art/Performance magazine from the late 1970s through to the early 1990s covering the history and development of UK Live Art over that period. The magazine provided a platform for the awareness of new approaches to the making and experience of art by creating a critical context and space for discourse. Moving beyond Performance Art and conventional categorisations, Performance Magazine promoted cross-disciplinary and underground art, and played an important role in triggering the development of Live Art as a terminology and field of creative practice.

Administrative / Biographical History

Supported by grants from the Arts Council, between 1979-1992 Performance Magazine documented an extraordinary period in the development of art in the UK. Editors included Robert La Frenais (founding editor), Steve Rogers, Chrissie Iles and Gray Watson. Following the last issue in 1992 the Arts Council grant was transferred enable the foundation of Live Art Magazine (see http://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/explore/live-art/david-hughes-live-art-archive)

Arrangement

The magazines are arranged chronologically by their issue number.

Access Information

Open

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

Printed Material

Custodial History

A complete set of the magazine, together with the appropriate copyright licences was kindly donated to Nottingham Trent University in 2004 by the magazine editors Rob La Frenais, Gray Watson and Chrissie Iles. This transferred to the Theatre Collection at the University of Bristol along with the rest of the Live Art Archives in 2006. With funding from Arts Council England, Rob La Frenais in collaboration with the Live Art Development Agency (LADA) digitised all issues of Performance Magazine. URLs for each issue are included in the catalogue