In this week’s session we watched Marina Abramovic’s The Artist is Present. It followed Abramovic creating a powerful duration performance that saw her sitting opposite an empty chair with a table in between. In addition to her new performance the Museum also reproduced some of her previous work which spanned over 4 decades. The performance was held in the MoMA, Museum of Modern Arts (New York), and lasted over 3 months."The Artist is Present" Marina Abramovic MoMA - New York

Abramovic had to have intense focus and commitment, like all other artists, so she could endure the physical and emotional strain she would face every day. Although the performance would challenging to anyone, Abramovic never saw ‘quitting…an option,’ (Abramovic, 2010, cited in Stigh, 2010). Thousands came to see her whether it sitting opposite her in the chair or observing from the side, they were still present in the moment. The performance was ‘about stillness and about literally doing nothing and being in the present,’ (Abramovic, 2010, cited in Stigh, 2010). As there was no conversation between the artist and the person all they had was eye contact and their own thoughts. The silence brought many different emotions to those present, some smiled others cried. When sitting opposite Abramovic you were isolated from speech, the people watching and the museum which forces you to be present in however long you decided to sit with her.

‘The same event is experienced, remembered, characterised in a multitude of different ways’ (Pearson and Shanks, 2001, 57). Everyone who witnessed the performance will feel differently about what they saw to those who hear about it or watch it. But whatever you feel it creates pause for thought about it.

 

Work Cited:

Stigh, D. (2010) Marina Abramovic: The Artist Speaks. [online] Available from: http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2010/06/03/marina-abramovic-the-artist-speaks [Accessed 14 February 2015].

Image from: http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2010/06/03/marina-abramovic-the-artist-speaks

Pearson, M. and Shanks, M. (2001) Theatre/ Archaeology: Disciplinary Dialogues. London: Routledge.