Fur Wheel (1962)
Kinetic sculpture
Materials: lampshade base, fur, tin cans, mirrors, glass, oil paint; wheel, motor, electrical components
This is one of Schneemann’s first departures from the use of flat canvas and also one of the first movement based pieces she creates. The ‘wheel’ slowly rotates around in a circle, allowing the beer cans to clink and fall, which creates an organic noise. The effect of the piece is hypnotic in its monotony.
Silent film shot on 16mm
18 minutes long
Over a three year span Schneemann recorded intimate sexual moment with her and her husband, James Tenney. She took those films, spliced them, and overlaid them with images of nature and her cat. She also took the time to hand paint, edit, and scratch the pieces of film – creating a dreamlike quality. This film was one of the first to explore a woman’s view of sex, from a heterosexual standpoint, in such an intimate way. This incredibly direct portrayal has been heralded as a revolutionary film of its time.
Performance, body art
This kinetic theater piece revolves around eight, scantily dressed, men and women happily dancing and moving about each other creating what seems like human sculptures. Then, as the performance goes on, they are handed pieces of raw meat which they rub all over their bodies. The men and women never lose their joyful expressions as they become smeared with paper, paint, and raw meat.
The piece was first performed in Paris at the Free Expression Festival.
Up To And Including Her Limits (1973 – 1976)
Performance painting
In this performance, Carolee Schneemann would strap herself into a tree climber’s harness (while in the nude) and let herself swing around the space she was in. As she ‘floated’ about the area she would write and draw on the walls and floor in multicolored crayons. There was also a live video feed capturing these performances. The inspiration for the piece was largely due to Jackson Pollock’s use of the physical body in his art.