General Idea
Life & Work by Sarah E . K . Smith
Taking place in the theatre lobby , the pageant was centred on a small platform surrounded by flower arrangements discarded by a funeral parlour . During the talent portion of the pageant , contestant Miss Honey ( Honey Novick ) showed off her skills on the telex machine . Other contestants were costumed as bears : Belinda Bear , Danny Bear , and Rachel Bear , all of whom sang and danced . The judges declared Miss Honey the winner and crowned her Miss General Idea 1970 . The pageant was documented on video . Describing the impact of the event , Partz stated , “ Everyone was quite mystified as to what was going on . Because it looked quite real , because Miss Honey was quite a good actress .”
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The popularity of the pageant format was of central importance to General Idea and significantly shaped the artists ’ work going forward . Pointing to the flexibility and utility of the pageant format , curator and art historian Fern Bayer explains , “ The beauty pageant format
Performance documentation of General Idea , The 1970 Miss General Idea Pageant , 1970 , a component of the project What Happened , 1970 , part of the Festival of Underground Theatre , St . Lawrence Centre for the Arts , Toronto , 1970 , Collection General Idea , photograph by General Idea . Here Miss General Idea 1969 , Granada Gazelle , awards the crown of Miss General Idea 1970 to Miss Honey
provided General Idea with a basic vocabulary of contemporary cultural clichés and allowed them to express their ideas about glamour , borderline cases , culture / nature interfaces , the role of the artist as an inspiration cultural device , the body of myths surrounding the art world , and the relationship of the artist to the media and the public .”
The group ’ s performance XXX ( bleu ), 1984 , spoke to the connections between artists , the art world , and the media , while also referencing art history . It was performed in Geneva , Switzerland , at the Centre d ’ art contemporain Genève . On a set that played the part of an artist ’ s studio , the members of General Idea performed an action in which they painted three large canvases with “ X ” symbols . The colour used was International Klein Blue , created by French artist Yves Klein ( 1928 – 1962 ), renowned for his monochromatic blue paintings . In 1960 Klein famously used nude female models as “ brushes ” to transfer paint to canvas . His performance was treated with the utmost seriousness — it was a black-tie event , complete with an orchestra that accompanied Klein ’ s use of the nude women ’ s bodies to create paintings . General Idea offered a pointed commentary on this by appropriating Klein ’ s performance but employing three white , faux stuffed poodles , dripping with blue paint , to inscribe an “ X ” on each canvas .
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A contestant for The 1970 Miss General Idea Pageant , 1970 , a component of the project What Happened , 1970 , part of the Festival of Underground Theatre , St . Lawrence Centre for the Arts , Toronto , 1970 , photograph by General Idea . Five or six contestants dressed in bear costumes , while Miss Honey , the entrant ultimately proclaimed the winner , wore a peau-desoie gown , a fox stole , and a tiara
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