Performance artist Marina Abramovic adopts a
territory where both audience and artist coincide throughout the entirety of
her performance. Abramovic’s early career commenced during the 1970’s an era
where performance art was ridiculed, only fuelling her aspirations to prove
critics wrong.
Abramovic’s rhythm series, which constitutes
of five individual performances from 1973 to 1974, scrutinizes
the tensions between abandonment and control. At the forefront of Abramovic’s
rhythm series is Rhythm 10 (Abramovic,
M. 1973). Rhythm 10 consisted of
Abramovic recording herself stabbing between the fingers of her left hand with
10 knives, as fast as she could; changing knives every time she cut herself. When
all knives were used Abramovic would rewind the tape and playing it back, she
then began re-performing the actions to the rhythm of the tape. Abramovic
wilfully or not, subjected her performance to a rhythm over which she had
limited control. Abramovic claims each cut manifesting itself in the same place
as the original, presenting the notion that “the mistakes of time pressed and
type present are synchronised” (Dezeuze, A. 2010 [pg. 133]). Its
important to emphasise the point that this wasn’t the first time Abramovic
performed Rhythm 10; she firstly
performing on her own and then again in front of a crowd at Edinburgh Festival.
The action of reperforming in front of an audience forces the audience to take
authorship, thus thrusting an
alternative meaning where the audience subconsciously takes on the role of
co-collaborator. Rhythm 10 was
paramount to Abramovic’s understanding of how she utilizes the audience's
energy to drive her performance; this became an important concept informing
future ventures. Abramovic concludes Rhythm 10 by stating, “The sense of danger
in the room had united the onlookers and me in that very moment. The here and
now and nowhere else and it was a feeling I know I would have to seek out again
and again and again.”
(Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present. 2012). Thus, only emphasising
Abramovic hunger for audience gratification, negative or positive isn’t
important, the shear reaction of involvement is the energy that drives her
performance to a conclusion.
The internal development of Abramovic’s rhythm
series resides itself at her performance Rhythm
5 (Abramovic, M. 1974). After performing Rhythm 5 Abramovic realized that her performances were concerned
with capacities and limits stating "The subject of my work should be the
limits of the body. I would use performance to push my mental and physical
limits beyond consciousness." (Lempesis, D.
2017). Rhythm 5 consisted of a wooden construction of a five-pointed star
soaked in gasoline, then set alight. Ritualistically, Abramovic manoeuvred around
the star cutting her hair, fingernails and toenails and throwing them into the flames
before entering herself. Abramovic’s initial intention were simply to lie there
until the star burned out. However, the outcome was not predictable; the
burning gasoline consumed the oxygen in the space, causing Abramovich to pass
out. Audience members intervened and removed her from the performance, thus
thrusting audience participation onto a performance that wasn’t originally
classified as such. The ramification of audience intervention prompted Abramovic
to question, “How to use my body in and out of consciousness without
interrupting the performance.” (Dezeuze, A. 2010
[pg. 134]).
Following Abramovic’s
failure to remain physically conscious in Rhythm 5, in conjunction with audience
intervention, Abramovic created a performance that induced a planned loss of
control, Rhythm 2 (Abramovic, M.
1974). Rhythm 2 sees Abramovic take
medication in succession, medication typically consumed by patients suffering
from catatonia specifically schizophrenia. The repercussions of consumption
were observed by an audience, which saw Abramovic losing all physical control
over her body as well as effecting her mental state. Only revealing after the
performance Abramovic felt as though she had lost her identity while still
maintaining an active mind; sacrificing herself both psychologically and
physically.
“In Rhythm
4 almost as if correcting the interruption of rhythm five, Abramovich
prevented any intervention by viewers, but at the cost of a live audience.” (Dezeuze,
A. 2010 [pg. 135]). Rhythm 4 (Abramovic,
M. 1974) sees Abramovich approaching high-pressure air blower, in another room
audience views of the monitor focusing on the face without the blower in view.
The force of the blower results in Abramovich passing out, this doesn’t
interrupt the performance. The camera continues to record Abramovic’s face
which is still being distorted by the blower, meanwhile the audience is unaware
of her state. Abramovic concludes the performance stating, “In the performance
I succeed in using my body in out of consciousness without any interruption.” (Dezeuze,
A. 2010 [pg. 134])
Rhythm 0 (Abramovic, M. 1974), which Abramovic
fundamentally describes as “the conclusions of my research on the body when
conscious and unconscious” (Biesenbach, K. 2009, p.74). Rhythm 0 demanded the intervention of audience, juxtaposing
Abramovic’s earlier efforts, certainly in Rhythm
4, at eliminating audience intervention.
Regardless of Abramovic’s previous intentions, Rhythm 0 wouldn’t exist without audience
participation therefor the performance could not have been categorised as an
accomplished artwork. Abramovic’s evolving interest between artist and audience
are paramount in Rhythm 0, she allows
the performance to become collaboration over the audience being a passive
observer. In the gallery, audience members were presented with a table which
displayed 72 items. Audience members were invited to use the objects on
Abramovic as they desire, for a six-hour period. Instructions also lay on the
table:
“Instructions.
There are 72
objects on the table that one can use on me as desired.
Performance.
I am the object.
During this
period, I take full responsibility.”
A natural divide occurred, audience members
who sought to harm and those who tried to protect. The audience became
puppeteers, cutting Abramovic’s clothes, sticking rose thorns into her skin, cutting
her skin and drinking her blood, even placing a loaded gun to her head. Abramovic
states “I really wanted to take this risk, I wanted to know what the public is
about, what they are going to do in this kind of situation.” (Il Sapere. 2017).
At the end of the 6-hour period Abramovic began to move, unable to comprehend
their actions audience members fled as though believing she was a puppet. The audience physically directed the performance,
while in Abramovic’s previous Rhythm’s she involved the audience through a dynamic
exchange of energy. Abramovic concludes the Rhythm series by setting the notion
that “it’s not about body limits as strength is in the mind” (Il Sapere 2017)
***
Why Abramovic? I question myself this. Performance art something that i haven't particularly done myself i feel drawn to the work of Abramovic. Her connection with her audience which is clear within her rhythm series most certainly rhythm 10 and her performance the artist is present, which isn't written about here but i intend to add this to my dissertation should there be enough left in the word count. When researching really enjoy it when im really interested in the subject, my interest in Abramovic meant that researching her was enjoyable and rewarding. I love the personal connection she has with her audience, the way she presents herself as a strong individual in a very vulnerable position. My research on Abramovic will surely expand with more research, making connections between my subject of artist, audience and artwork. The more i research the more i see her work become more of a focal chapter than just a couple of paragraphs. The above only briefly shows evaluation which will become more in-depth and analytical as i make links between this case study, my critical theorists and other key research.
Research Investigated:
- Lempesis, D. (2017) TRACES:Marina Abramović. Available at: http://www.dreamideamachine.com/en/?p=7776 (Accessed 22 October 2018)
- Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present. (2012) [Documentary]. Directed by Matthew Akers.
- Abramovic, M (2010), The Artist is Present [Performance]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, America.
- Dezeuze, A. (2010) The 'do-it-yourself' artwork. Manchester: Manchester University Press
- Abramovic, M. (1973) Rhythm 10 [Performance]. Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
- Abramovic, M. (1974) Rhythm 0 [Performance]. Studio Morra, Naples, Italy.
- Abramovic, M. (1974) Rhythm 5 [Performance]. Student Cultural Center, Belgrade, Serbia.
- Abramovic, M. (1974) Rhythm 2 [Performance]. Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Croatia.
- Abramovic, M. (1974) Rhythm 4 [Performance]. Galleria Diagramma, Milan, Italy.
- Biesenbach, K. (2009) Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present [exhibition catalogue], Museum of Modern Art, New York, America.
- Il Sapere (2017) Marina Abramovic on performing 'Rhythm 0' 1974. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kijKz3JzoD4 (Accessed 24 October 2018)
- https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-40-summer-2017/interview-tehching-hsieh-marina-abramovic
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