Describing how intense of an experience this event was for me is difficult. The Whitworth Museum has been emptied of its collection and in its place Marina Abramović has curated a series of performances, each occupying a different space of the building. Lasting 4 hours the event began with each of us putting on white lab coats and entering a long large room with big square windows overlooking Whitworth Park. In front of the windows was a steel back stage running 3/4 of the length of the room interspersed with speakers. Sat on small stools arranged on a grid we giddly awaited Marina's instructions. She prepared the group of about 120 spectators with an unrehearsed but well thought out workshop/lecture on performance, personal and collective energy sharing, dynamics of exchange, meditation, and awareness all leading to an approach method for the event we were about to witness (but for all intents already participating in).
We practiced being hyper aware of the moment, closing our eyes and drinking a small dixie cup of water over a silent 10 minute period. We were instructed to sit across from a stranger and stare into each others eyes for 5 minutes without looking away or blinking. It set a tone, and the energy of the fidgety crowd settled into something more quiet, aware and contemplative. She instructed us all to move to the far end of the room and close our eyes. Returning to the other side of the hall, where the large double doors were, we were instructed to: "Lift one foot... Bring that foot forward... (stepping down) shift your body..." and so on, slowly moving us zombified to the otherside of the room and out the gallery. Upon exiting we took a deep breath and began exploring the many rooms and environments that these dedicated artists had prepared for us.
Marina described this as a gift, an exchange. We bring our time to give and share with the artist in exchange for their art their performance. It was a beautiful exchange and a powerful introduction.
I cannot begin to review the entire show. But for those of you who could not go, I enter below an overview of the artist taken from the catalogue and a very brief and perhaps unjust description of their actions. Words cannot describe the power of this event, it moved me like nothing else I have seen. Perhaps I didn't notice it during my wandering, but the extent of the communion I felt hit me upon exiting. Marina handed each of us a signed 'Certificate of Accomplishment" as we left, the mere two dozen or so who stayed the 4 hours. She was very happy and I was thrilled to receive this almost naff symbol. But the minute I exited the gallery my chest swelled with emotion and my eyes teared. I cannot recall being overcome like this before, perhaps it was circumstance, it had been a very intense few weeks for me. Perhaps it was the eve of my departure to Beirut (I am writing this from my connection in Istanbul). But regardless it was an incredibly powerful experience.
Featuring: Marina Abramović, Ivan Civic, Nikhil Chopra, Amanda Coogan, Marie Cool Fabio Balducci, Yingmei Duan, Eunhye Hwang, Jamie Isenstein, Terence Koh, Alastair MacLennan, Kira O’Reilly, Fedor Pavlov-Andreevich, Melati Suryodarmo and Nico Vascellari.
Concept by Marina Abramović with Hans Ulrich Obrist and Maria Balshaw
Dedicated to Tehching Hsieh
Marina Abramović presented The Drill our introduction and guided meditation into the event. (Yugoslavia)
Nikhil Chopra is in a large room covered with brown paper and tape and goes from semi-nude to fully dressed in an English gentlemen's outfit whilst scribbling black charcoal lines that form intense black chaotic clouds and emerge into incredible landscapes. (India)
Ivan Civic performs Back to Sarajevo... after 10 years... where a projected home video of his return from exile is a giant backdrop to his dwarfed body as he climbs on a series of interspersed poles coming vertically out of the wall. (Bosnia)
Amanda Coogan methodically and repeatedly launches herself from a staircase to a giant 'mountain' shaped structure below, wearing a yellow garment that both reveals and conceals her body. (Ireland)
Marie Cool Fabio Balducci manipulates white sand, white string and white paper in a large white room creating a stark alchemic laboratory. (France)
Yingmei Duan performs Naked exploring instincts and longing, she walks with eyes closed around a space cloacked in an inner silent monologue. (China)
Eunhye Hwang performs The Road, slowly and silently wrestling with radio static in a room with small refrigerator and green jello on ceramic white plates. (South Korea)
Jasmie Isenstein lies still and flat on a carpet on the floor in Rug Rug Rug covered in a wolf skin, then a sheep skin, then a bear skin, each a new layer of disguise. (USA)
Terence Koh lies curled at the gallery entrance, painted stone white from the waist down and slowly cradles a small speaker system with imperceptible movements. (Canada)
Alastair Maclennan moves about in a ritual of objects and transformation in a room with a large diagonal altar running across it with a long triangular mound of earth covering it from one end to the other. One oppossite sides are placed decapitated pigs heads facing eachother, and shredding bits of paper dot the earth some with full lines of text. Filling the two trianglular floor spaces on either side of the table are single shoes of multiple varieties. I have to say I imagined this could totally be me when I am older.... (Scotland)
Kira O'Reilly tumbled nude down a majestic staircase in excruciatingly slow motion.
Fedor Pavlov-Andreevich developed a piece inspired by Vitaly Titov, who allegedly survived 20 days with an artificial body attached to his head. Built into an auditorium was a large temple-like structure where only the artists mouth was visible at the top of a set of stairs. Side panel contained shelves with materials and 'worshippers' were given a card with instructions. I rather liked mine which was to paint his teeth black with enamel and sing to him as it dried... (Russia)
Melati Suryodarmo performed I Love You where she moved around a red room with a huge plate glass pressed on her, repeating the phrase over and over at different levels. (Indonesia)
Nico Vascellari sat at the bottom of a stairwell in a sonic boom installation, bashing an enormous piece of hollow bronze against what seemed like aluminium while sitting in dust and stone. The sound was amplified with mics and reverberated throughout the stairwell. This was an intense and moving work, true endurance, and the sound hit you in the stomach and reverberated in your brain. His intensity was mesmerising and I spent the most time with him and ended the eve still watching his endless stamina smash those two structures together. (Italy)
Manchester International Festival
The Whitworth Art Gallery
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