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It’s All Allowed

The Performances of Adrian Howells

Adrian Howells (1962–2014) was one of the world’s leading figures in the field of one-to-one performance practice—the act of staging an event for one audience participant at a time. Developed over more than a decade, Howells’s award-winning work demonstrated not only his enduring commitment to this genre of performance, but also his determination to find new challenges and innovations in performance art, “intimate theatre,” and socially engaged art.

Its All Allowed, edited by Deirdre Heddon and Dominic Johnson, is the first book devoted to Howells’s remarkable achievements and legacy. Contributors here testify to the methodological, thematic, and historiographical challenges posed by Howells’ performances. Citing his permissive mantra as its title, Its All Allowed includes new writing from leading scholars and artists, as well as writing by Howells himself, an extensive interview, scores, and visual materials, which together reveal new insight into Howells’s groundbreaking process.

260 pages | 160 color plates | 7 x 9 1/2 | © 2016

Intellect Live

Art: Art--General Studies


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Reviews

“Adrian’s work occurred both with and without words, often dependant on the desire of the audience as much as the structure of the work he created. It’s All Allowed takes on the challenge of communicating Adrian to new audiences, and whilst no words can ever sum up any human and their contribution to the world, for now it is enough.”

Huffington Post UK

"A reading that I highly recommend no matter if you know Adrian Howells' work or not. . . . Not only academics, but also a wider public, such as artists and students, can enjoy this extraordinary collection. . . . The book in itself seems to be an act of caring: toward Adrian (as a memorial), toward the people who met him (as a 'gathering place' to share memories of him) and toward the readers (with its accessible style). Some passages are deeply moving and literally bring tears to the eyes. . . . Even though this book covers almost all aspects of Adrian Howells' work and life (or perhaps because of this), it leaves us with a sense of loss. We regret that we have not had the possibility to be one of his audience-participants, that we have not been at least once in Howells's performances, in his arms, under his care, beyond our comfort zone, in that safe space where It's All Allowed."

Liminalities

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