Marina Abramovic + my own "performance"

Video that really gave me an insight into what Marina Abramovic is about - Marina Abramović on art, performance, time and nothingness

I have heard about Marina before but i didn't really explore her work in detail. I came across her as i was looking at some performance artists because i could see my work slowly moving into a performance. I wanted to explore performance artists and see what they are about and how they see performance as an art form and why they have chosen it. I fell in love with Marina's performances. They are well thought through and yet really simple and powerful. She is part of the performance and shares experiences with the audience. Marina uses her own body as the subject, object, and medium of her work. In one of the performances called "The Artist is Present" visitors were encouraged to sit silently across from the artist for a duration of their choosing, becoming participants in the artwork. So simple and yet so intense. She has spent 8 hours each day of the show sitting still and looking into the eyes of strangers. This is kind of an endurance. Visually you wouldn't notice that if you were an audience as you wouldn't spend so long in the gallery. Her work is challenging physically. I am sure its not easy to stay expressionless whilst looking into peoples eyes all day. She is all about mindfulness and the present moment. Her work is very strong in my opinion and has links to mine. 

Artist is Present, 2010

Through my processes that i choose i try and reach mindfulness, a sense of peace through repetition. At the moment the unpicking of the cardigan is the closest i have to that state. I tried making a video out of it however it does not completely express how i would like to come across. This is why i am looking into performance and the way i can use it to display and show my work. The process of unpicking the cardigan involves me doing it and looking at a video zoomed in on my hands takes me away from it. I am part of the work and this is why i believe performance is the way to go. However, i don't know how i feel about the word "performance", it sounds a bit forced and theatrical to me. I see it more as an experience. A state of mind. Being present in the moment. If my art requires me to be part of it then i will be. But i still don't know how i feel about it because it means that i will be visible to the public. 

I absolutely love the way Marina uses herself in her performances. She is the creator of them and yet is just part of it. The performance itself is big and includes the whole of the audience so she as an artist is just a piece of the big performance. What she does is works with people and the present moment. However if i would perform the unpicking of the cardigan, it would be just my own experience that would be visible. A lot to think about and see what is right for my own work.

~Ev