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Art that demands us to live in the moment
It could be said that looking at art in a gallery or museum makes us live in the moment. We stop, we look, we ponder, and for that moment the art that is in front of us, is all there is in the world. Of course that is an ideal scenario. The reality is however, when people go through museums (myself included), they are taking photos, talking to friends, thinking about the person who is partially blocking the view of the work, or wondering if they have time to see everything before closing time.
In her current performance 512 Hours at the Serpentine Gallery in the UK, Marina Abramovic challenges the audience to be truly in the moment. She requests that all audience members leave their devices (watches, cell phones, computers, etc.) at the door and come into the gallery and spend as much time with her as they want to, or as they can. About 100 people are allowed in the room and during that time, Abramovic takes people by the hand and moves them to another place in the room. Here is a moving account by a Guardian writer Zoe Williams about her experience with 512 Hours: How I Became a Follower to the Cult of Marina Abramovic. This exhibition is a follow-up piece to Abramovic's performance a few years ago at MOMA called the Artist is Present where viewers sat across from the performance artist for as long as they chose (a film documentary by the same name was produced in 2010 and is readily available).
A writer from Time Magazine describes leaving 512 Hours feeling calm and peaceful and maybe this has to do with Abramovic's interest in mindfulness as an underlying theme in her work. Abramovic has created a mindfulness video called the Abramovic Method with three exercises on concentration: drinking water, writing your name and counting rice. While the time she recommends, such as 16 hours for counting rice might be a bit much, the exercises involve slowing down our minds, moving away from our devices, and taking time to concentrate, all elements that are part of the intention of Abramovic's work at the Serpentine.
Here is a video of an interview with Times Magazine which offers insight into what performance art is, and how it differs from what we know as 'theatre'. An excellent profile on Abramovic was written in 2010 by New Yorker writer Judith Thurman: Walking Through Walls. And for some Canadian content, you can check out Jian Ghomeshi's interview: Marina Abramovic on Q where she's talks about her autobiographical piece, The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic. For current information about Abramovic and her work: The Marina Abramovic Institute.
While I have never seen an Abramovic performance in person, I love listen to her talk because she speaks with such clarity and depth of thought. I also find the underlying theme in most of her work, the desire for human connection, is one that is definitely worth much consideration.
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