Lecture as Performance with Danny Volk

Lecture as Performance with Danny Volk

Humorous. Expressive. Descriptive. Experimental. Controller.

"God DJ". Order of Appearance.

Danny Volk is originally from Akron, Ohio. He now lives and works in Chicago along with teaching at the community college. Volk studied at Kent State University receiving his BA Theatre Studies in 2006. He received his graduate degree in Visual Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2014. Danny Volk is a conceptual, performance, installation, and video artist. He has been acting all his life--memorizing lines and following rules. Taking on the role of a character but taking it in as his own experience as well. Volk spoke confidently. He was comfortable. Using hand gestures and beginning a conversation with his audience.

DVNY

Danny Volk refers to his performances as a series of projects. DVNY stands for Danny Volk, New York. The Danny Volk standing before us had been tagged in a post by New York Danny Volk's girlfriend. "Yes...and? Improv," says Volk in response to this event. He began changing who he was on his Instagram posting suits, fancy breakfast in bed, watches, etc. Anything that could relate to the Danny Volk in New York he translated into his Instagram. Participating in stealing other people's photos, having a group that was in on playing this "game" he had created. Then, he had added a new variable into the experiment. Tagging actual people became an interest and the reaction was acknowledgeable to that it wasn't the Danny Volk they believed him to be. What does this performance say about humanity? It breaks the boundaries and norms that society has created for us to behave. We often see negative towards the word "fake." However, Volk has opened a door to experimentation and creating rules for himself to follow to step forth into the world of make believe. What makes an act make believe or reality? If it is happening, is it not reality?

The idea of documentation through questioning who the project is for, what are the character rules, and showing the role of the camera are presented in the Order of Appearance. The "God DJ" controls the sound, music in the background...everything. Danny Volk only controls the volume. It interrupts the conversation between the two performers. There was tension created in how uncomfortable the speakers were being interrupted by the God DJ/ Danny Volk. During this performance, he exposes the camera because the "subject matter is too personal." In addition to the rules he has created, the people involved had not been fully aware that they were performing. 

University Galleries.

In the lecture, I began noting to myself the gestures, tone of voice, and posture Danny Volk was using during his talk. Was the audience a part of yet another performance? Some live by the quote that life is a performance. Some or most are skeptics of this philosophy. Danny Volk is fascinating, different than other artists. He evokes you to question what is real and what is not. Using consent as a central base, he draws fine lines in both directions. He believes his work to be research documentations that "allow, to, for, with" individuals. Ultimately, leaving the audience amused, confused, and even exposed for participating in yet another performance by Danny Volk.