Simon, Danni E., «The Role of the Performance Document: The Photographic Paradox and the Ephemeral Event». M.A., Sotheby’s Institute of Art – New York, Ann Arbor, United States 2015 Abstract In contemporary artistic practice, there has been a resurgence of performance- based work, resulting in an unprecedented interest in performance documentation. As performance art proliferates and gains admission into the exhibitions and archives of the traditional visual arts institution, the question of how to institutionalize these ephemeral practices comes to the fore. The documentation of performance, specifically the photographic document, has proven to be pivotal in the collection, preservation, and institutionalization of transient art. Now, more than ever before, the…