Briony Godivala

My work is realised in situ, designing an uncomfortable or absurd situation unique for each audience. Social guidelines, drive my work in order to break them. Activism initially drove my making, to shock and make change, but this has developed into an enquiry of discomfort and disruption. I find interest in the unpredictability of reaction to this, and participation and interactivity in causing disruption.
I use the body as a tool that can be altered by masks and prosthetics or moved and performed in questioning autonomy. In this way, performance and happenings, become the rawest medium for exploring support, violence and vulnerability. With this I integrate new technology, as a social tool for interaction and to explore the boundaries between human and non human, ‘real’ performance vs virtual performance.
Using social media and the inherent shareability of the internet, I try to be mindful of my own vulnerability and the danger of oversharing in performance art. I use my practice to explore the complex ways we relate to one another, our environment and the digital realm.

Arms (Participatory Performance)
The audience is invited to participate and move realistic arms, made of silicone and real human hair, around the Stow Building.
The arms are tracked by the ‘surveillance room’ installation on the ground floor of the Stow Building, where visitors are instructed to interact and move the arms by a low automated voice. Monitors play CCTV footage of people interacting and carrying the arms – into other peoples spaces as well as around corridors. Each of the arms contain an AirTag, to track the location in the building, which is livestreaming in the installation.
This is designed for the Glasgow School of Art Degree Show, exploring questions of surveillance, technology and reality. However this interactive performance originates from a performance using the my real body – which is shown on CCTV footage across 2 monitors also in the installation.
Support Performance (Degree Show)
Performance
In a crowded room, convince people to lift you up.
Get the people around to hold you, support you.
Don’t explain why.
Twist and move and make them adjust to you.
Pressure people to join in.
Let people switch in and out.
Let people into your space.
Accept their support.
Stay off the floor for as long as possible.
Do this until they cannot hold you anymore.
This performance is different with every location, group of people and situation – it has happened in an exhibition of all art students, in assessments with examiners and will also occur on the Degree Show opening night with the general public. The assessment performance is filmed through 2 CCTV cameras and is played in the Degree Show installation.
The performance is physically challenging as well awkward as I pressure people into my personal space. I try to understand personal and ‘art world’ boundaries and infiltrate them using participation and discomfort. Testing the unpredictability of reaction as I am suspended in between violence, support and vulnerability.