The Hierarchy of Performative Experience

I am personally good with the sit at home and be updated through the internet and magazines experience of Marina’s performance.

I am personally good with the sit at home and be updated through the internet and magazines experience of Marina’s performance.

I am personally good with the sit at home and be updated through the internet and magazines experience of Marina’s performance.

How great would it be if the museum decided to extend the show “due to popular demand?” They could even start charging for opportunities to sit w/the artist, with a base price of $10 for five minutes and higher prices for greater durations (this would also deal with the “greedy starer” problems). Sure, poor Marina would probably get irrevocably lost within her own mind, but the ticket sales would be divine!

How great would it be if the museum decided to extend the show “due to popular demand?” They could even start charging for opportunities to sit w/the artist, with a base price of $10 for five minutes and higher prices for greater durations (this would also deal with the “greedy starer” problems). Sure, poor Marina would probably get irrevocably lost within her own mind, but the ticket sales would be divine!

How great would it be if the museum decided to extend the show “due to popular demand?” They could even start charging for opportunities to sit w/the artist, with a base price of $10 for five minutes and higher prices for greater durations (this would also deal with the “greedy starer” problems). Sure, poor Marina would probably get irrevocably lost within her own mind, but the ticket sales would be divine!

during the final week, all sitters should sit for precisely 4’33″, thus performing a John Cage piece inside the Marian Abramovic piece, which is taking place within a media cage.

during the final week, all sitters should sit for precisely 4’33″, thus performing a John Cage piece inside the Marian Abramovic piece, which is taking place within a media cage.

during the final week, all sitters should sit for precisely 4’33″, thus performing a John Cage piece inside the Marian Abramovic piece, which is taking place within a media cage.

http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2010/05/bjork-goes-to-see-performance-artist-at-moma-has-telepathic-conversation-with-her.html

http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2010/05/bjork-goes-to-see-performance-artist-at-moma-has-telepathic-conversation-with-her.html

http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2010/05/bjork-goes-to-see-performance-artist-at-moma-has-telepathic-conversation-with-her.html

@Howard: Funny, but interesting that Matthew Barney was left out of that exchange (http://www.flickr.com/photos/themuseumofmodernart/4621301845/in/set-72157623741486824/)

@Howard: Funny, but interesting that Matthew Barney was left out of that exchange (http://www.flickr.com/photos/themuseumofmodernart/4621301845/in/set-72157623741486824/)

Re #2: I’ll go ahead and say my experience was less valuable. I walked away pretty disillusioned after waiting in line all day (and tweeting about it) and not sitting with her. Then I went home and blogged about it: http://manbartlett.tumblr.com/post/574883684/waiting-in-marinas-line-aka-wsma

All that said, I do still support the supporting of performance art! Eek!

Re #2: I’ll go ahead and say my experience was less valuable. I walked away pretty disillusioned after waiting in line all day (and tweeting about it) and not sitting with her. Then I went home and blogged about it: http://manbartlett.tumblr.com/post/574883684/waiting-in-marinas-line-aka-wsma

All that said, I do still support the supporting of performance art! Eek!

Performance artists should be servants of the people as my piece, Death Bear, has illustrated. I would paint Death Bear as the alternative to Marina’s piece in a way. People are transformed with my work (yes they even cry too), but unlike her I truly make myself accessible and participatory (I come to your house) and no preference is given to the elite or insiders. Performance artists are here to make ourselves available for the people, not the other way around. Even the masochistic elements of her work are embarrassing to me.

Can’t wait to see how many magazine covers she gets when she’s done. Letterman appearance? Sitcom cameo? Ughhh

Nate

Performance artists should be servants of the people as my piece, Death Bear, has illustrated. I would paint Death Bear as the alternative to Marina’s piece in a way. People are transformed with my work (yes they even cry too), but unlike her I truly make myself accessible and participatory (I come to your house) and no preference is given to the elite or insiders. Performance artists are here to make ourselves available for the people, not the other way around. Even the masochistic elements of her work are embarrassing to me.

Can’t wait to see how many magazine covers she gets when she’s done. Letterman appearance? Sitcom cameo? Ughhh

Nate

Long live Death Bear!

Long live Death Bear!

Waiting in line does bring up all kinds of issues that you wouldn’t normally consider with a performance piece. Mostly I wondered if the sitters ahead of me felt selfish when they were sitting there for 30 minutes to an hour, which is sad.

There should have been a subjective time limit rule along with the “keep eye contact” rule. For example, the rule could have been, “remain until you feel that you have had a true moment” or some such. But that doesn’t fit with her agenda of denial/walling off communication.

One thing I did was talk to everyone in line around and ahead of me to make sure that we were all planning on sitting for a reasonable amount of time (around 30 minutes or less). That way, we got through lots of people–go teamwork! I think I was sitter 16 on day 27 or something.

There are a lot of issues surrounding the piece, and they’re infinitely more interesting than sitting (although I would have been annoyed if I hadn’t been able to).

I plan on writing a blog post about my experience sometime later this week. I’ve been meaning to get to it for a month, but I’ve had other priorities.

Waiting in line does bring up all kinds of issues that you wouldn’t normally consider with a performance piece. Mostly I wondered if the sitters ahead of me felt selfish when they were sitting there for 30 minutes to an hour, which is sad.

There should have been a subjective time limit rule along with the “keep eye contact” rule. For example, the rule could have been, “remain until you feel that you have had a true moment” or some such. But that doesn’t fit with her agenda of denial/walling off communication.

One thing I did was talk to everyone in line around and ahead of me to make sure that we were all planning on sitting for a reasonable amount of time (around 30 minutes or less). That way, we got through lots of people–go teamwork! I think I was sitter 16 on day 27 or something.

There are a lot of issues surrounding the piece, and they’re infinitely more interesting than sitting (although I would have been annoyed if I hadn’t been able to).

I plan on writing a blog post about my experience sometime later this week. I’ve been meaning to get to it for a month, but I’ve had other priorities.

Waiting in line does bring up all kinds of issues that you wouldn’t normally consider with a performance piece. Mostly I wondered if the sitters ahead of me felt selfish when they were sitting there for 30 minutes to an hour, which is sad.

There should have been a subjective time limit rule along with the “keep eye contact” rule. For example, the rule could have been, “remain until you feel that you have had a true moment” or some such. But that doesn’t fit with her agenda of denial/walling off communication.

One thing I did was talk to everyone in line around and ahead of me to make sure that we were all planning on sitting for a reasonable amount of time (around 30 minutes or less). That way, we got through lots of people–go teamwork! I think I was sitter 16 on day 27 or something.

There are a lot of issues surrounding the piece, and they’re infinitely more interesting than sitting (although I would have been annoyed if I hadn’t been able to).

I plan on writing a blog post about my experience sometime later this week. I’ve been meaning to get to it for a month, but I’ve had other priorities.