Cosey Fanni Tutti
Encyclopedia
Cosey Fanni Tutti is best known as a performance artist and for her time in Throbbing Gristle
and Chris & Cosey
.
Before both of these she was a performer with COUM Transmissions
in 1969. Her addition changed the nature of the group which, when she joined, was still mostly a musical venture. From that point on, COUM performances became events or, in sixties parlance, happening
s, involving props, costumes, dance, improvisation and street theatre
. As an installation artist, she was selected in 1975 to represent Britain at the IXth Biennale de Paris
.
Cosey continues to release solo recordings, including a retrospective deluxe box set with many photos and text, called Time To Tell, and she continues to perform as a performance artist in the Dada
tradition. She also had a long career as a stripper
and in the fields of pornographic film and magazines, stemming from a desire to incorporate her own image into collages she produced in this period. This willingness to deliberately and consciously participate in the process of commercial image production has inspired a number of visual and performance artists, among them Joe Potts
and John Duncan
. Some of her performance art work has also drawn on her experience as an adult performer. She was regular performer at the Raymond Revuebar
in London
, England
, during the early 1970s.
Her name came about in 1973 after having formally changed it from Cosmosis. According to John Ford, "Cosey Fanni Tutti" was suggested to her by mail art
ist Robin Klassnick, and it comes from the opera
Così fan tutte
, meaning literally "They [women] all do the same."
Music was used in some of Tutti's performance art. The use of music led to Cosey's interest in the concept of 'acceptable' music and she went on to explore the use of sound as a means of physical pleasure or pain. In 1976 she co-founded the group Throbbing Gristle with Chris Carter
, Peter Christopherson
and Genesis P-Orridge
. They disbanded in 1981.
In honor of the dawn of the 21st century, Chris & Cosey
changed its name to Carter Tutti. In 2004, after twenty three years apart, Throbbing Gristle reunited, with all four original members, for recordings and events.
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
and Chris & Cosey
Chris and Cosey
Chris & Cosey, now performing as Carter Tutti, are a band formed in 1981, consisting of partners Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, both previously members of industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle.- History :...
.
Before both of these she was a performer with COUM Transmissions
COUM Transmissions
COUM Transmissions was a performance art group interested in pushing boundaries, influenced by Dada and the Merry Pranksters.CT was a whimsical, eccentric as well as confrontational band and performance art group, from Hull, Yorkshire – a collective the constants of which were its...
in 1969. Her addition changed the nature of the group which, when she joined, was still mostly a musical venture. From that point on, COUM performances became events or, in sixties parlance, happening
Happening
A happening is a performance, event or situation meant to be considered art, usually as performance art. Happenings take place anywhere , are often multi-disciplinary, with a nonlinear narrative and the active participation of the audience...
s, involving props, costumes, dance, improvisation and street theatre
Street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
. As an installation artist, she was selected in 1975 to represent Britain at the IXth Biennale de Paris
Biennale de Paris
-History:The 'Biennale de Paris' was launched by Raymond Cogniat in 1959 and set up by André Malraux as he was Minister of Culture to present an overview of young creativity worldwide and to create a place of experiences and meetings.-Presentation:...
.
Cosey continues to release solo recordings, including a retrospective deluxe box set with many photos and text, called Time To Tell, and she continues to perform as a performance artist in the Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
tradition. She also had a long career as a stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
and in the fields of pornographic film and magazines, stemming from a desire to incorporate her own image into collages she produced in this period. This willingness to deliberately and consciously participate in the process of commercial image production has inspired a number of visual and performance artists, among them Joe Potts
Joe Potts
Joe Potts was a Scottish racing driver, turned racing car manufacturer, of the 1950s. He designed and constructed his 'JP' racing cars for the Formula 3 and Formule Libre racing classes...
and John Duncan
John Duncan (artist)
This page is about John Duncan the contemporary artist. For the Symbolist artist see John Duncan .John Duncan is an artist who has lived and worked in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Amsterdam, currently lives and works in Bologna...
. Some of her performance art work has also drawn on her experience as an adult performer. She was regular performer at the Raymond Revuebar
Raymond Revuebar
The Raymond Revuebar was a theater and strip club at 11 Walker's Court, now The Box Soho, in the heart of London's Soho district. For many years, it was the only venue in London that offered full-frontal, on-stage nudity of the sort commonly seen in other cities in Europe and North America...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, during the early 1970s.
Her name came about in 1973 after having formally changed it from Cosmosis. According to John Ford, "Cosey Fanni Tutti" was suggested to her by mail art
Mail art
Mail art is a worldwide cultural movement that began in the early 1960s and involves sending visual art through the international postal system. Mail Art is also known as Postal Art or Correspondence Art...
ist Robin Klassnick, and it comes from the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
, meaning literally "They [women] all do the same."
Music was used in some of Tutti's performance art. The use of music led to Cosey's interest in the concept of 'acceptable' music and she went on to explore the use of sound as a means of physical pleasure or pain. In 1976 she co-founded the group Throbbing Gristle with Chris Carter
Chris Carter (musician)
Chris Carter was born on January 28, 1953 in London, England and educated at the Friern Barnet Grammar School. He is best known for being a synthesist and member of Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey...
, Peter Christopherson
Peter Christopherson
Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
and Genesis P-Orridge
Genesis P-Orridge
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge is an English singer-songwriter, musician, writer and artist. P-Orridge's early confrontational performance work in COUM Transmissions in the late 1960s and early 1970s along with the industrial band Throbbing Gristle, which dealt with subjects such as prostitution,...
. They disbanded in 1981.
In honor of the dawn of the 21st century, Chris & Cosey
Chris and Cosey
Chris & Cosey, now performing as Carter Tutti, are a band formed in 1981, consisting of partners Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, both previously members of industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle.- History :...
changed its name to Carter Tutti. In 2004, after twenty three years apart, Throbbing Gristle reunited, with all four original members, for recordings and events.
External links
- Cosey Fanni Tutti's homepage
- Official CARTER TUTTI site
- Interview on Time to Tell, about her experience in the sex industry
- Cosey Fanni Tutti at the Tate Triennial 2006
- Cosey Fanni Tutti & Genesis P-Orridge in 1976 - Media frenzy, Prostitution-style/Excerpts from John A. Walker's Art and Outrage about the exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (1976).