Jim Burton
Performer Isolation Event

June 13, 1972 112 Greene Street/Workshop
Installation view from "Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event," 1972

Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event, installation view, 1972.

Installation view from Jim Burton's "Performer Isolation Event," 1972

Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event, installation view, 1972.

Installation view from Jim Burton's "Performer Isolation Event," 1972

Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event, installation view, 1972.

Participating Artists

Jim Burton
Alan Finkel
Larry Nelson
Roger Nelson

Organized by Jim Burton.

Exhibition Description

“Performer Isolation Event” required four performers to remain in isolation by lying down in coffin-sized boxes for twelve hours. The event began at 9:00AM and ended at 9:00PM. Each box was equipped with a microphone fed to a public address system in the gallery. Each performer wore earplugs and blindfolds to minimize his contact with the environment. During the period of isolation, the performers were instructed to improvise vocal variations on the five vowels, in order. Each vowel was allotted two hours and the final two-hour period was for free improvisation. The performers could only estimate the two-hour divisions; thus, the vowel variations often overlapped.

Excerpted from Brentano, R., & Savitt, M. (1981). 112 Workshop, 112 Greene Street: History, artists & artworks. New York: New York University Press.

Related Material

Press release from "Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event," 1972

“Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event,” press release, 1972

Installation view from "Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event," 1972
Installation view from Jim Burton's "Performer Isolation Event," 1972
Installation view from Jim Burton's "Performer Isolation Event," 1972

“Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event,” installation view, 1972

“Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event,” installation view, 1972

“Jim Burton: Performer Isolation Event,” installation view, 1972