Vito Acconci

Vito Acconci

            Vito Acconci is an American artist from New York who works primarily with installation and landscape architecture.  At first, Acconci was a poet, until he transitioned into performance art.  He wanted to use his own body as a form of art, and frequently used video and photography to capture his performances.  In one of his performance pieces, titled Following Piece, Acconci would follow people in the street until they would enter a private place.  This was to emphasize the importance and role of the home in everyday life, and the privacy that a home provides.  In the 1970’s Acconci began making public sculptures that were intended for people to interact with and play upon.  Acconci’s public architecture includes nature, such as Face of the Earth #3 and Dirt Wall, which takes different types of soil and rock found in the Earth’s crust and layers them within a glass panel.

            I like Vito Acconci’s performance work in Following Piece because of the contrast between public and private spaces as well as the comforts that home provides that is often overlooked or taken for granted.  I also like the level of interaction that Acconci’s public outdoor art encourages from its viewers.  Interaction with art is always a great way to get a positive response and helps the people understand the art more.  Landscape architecture is an interesting way to connect with an audience, and I think that Vito Acconci succeeds with it.