Assemblages within Assemblages: Performativity of Composite Icons in Liturgical and Museum Contexts
Assemblages within Assemblages: Performativity of Composite Icons in Liturgical and Museum Contexts

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the performativity of two composite icons in liturgical and museum contexts. Their unusual form, consisting of two panels combined as one work of art, is interpreted as an assemblage, following Victor I. Stoichita use of the term. Moreover, the multivalency of the term assemblage is used to present the icons as part of dynamic social assemblages by applying the theoretical perspective of assemblage theory. It becomes crucial in seeing them as active agents in the assemblages of humans and non-humans as well as understanding the potential of this unusual form and the way they function in various relations with other works of art, institutions, and people. Applying the categories of assemblage and performative icon to the analysis of two examples of composite icons, the article characterizes the influence of assemblage form on the veneration and presentation of icons. Focusing on the issue of performativity, agency, and affordance made it possible to highlight the dynamics of the assemblage form and the icon itself. Depending on the context—the performances in which it participates and the assemblages of which it becomes a part—the icon can be perceived as a work of art and/or a devotional image that transcends the realm of artistic values. The article also reflects on the assemblage nature of the icon research and study process.

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