Saturday, April 3, 2010

Like Being Back In Art School...

Good morning students :) There are a million artists out there, many of whom I have never heard of.  Every weekend I aim to bring you info on some great people - some you may have heard of, some you may not, but each one is unique and creative in their own ways and I hope you enjoy!

Marina Abramović (Serbian Cyrillic: Марина Абрамовић; born 30 November 1946, in Belgrade, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia) is a New York-based Serbian and Yugoslavian performance artist who began her career in the early 1970s. Active for over three decades, she has recently begun to describe herself as the “grandmother of performance art".


Abramović's work explores the relationship between performer and audience, the limits of the body, and the possibilities of the mind.

Photography from Marina Abramovic
Rhythm 5, 1974


Abramović sought to re-evoke the energy of extreme body pain, in this case using a large petroleum-drenched star, which the artist lit at the start of the performance. Standing outside the star, Abramović cut her nails, toenails, and hair. When finished with each, she threw the clippings into the flames, creating a burst of light each time. Burning the communist five-four rayed star represented a physical and mental purification, while addressing the political traditions of her past.

In the final act of purification, Abramović leaps across the flames, propelling herself into center of the large star. Due to the light and smoke given off by the fire, the observing audience didn't realize that, once inside the star, the artist had lost consciousness due to a lack of oxygen. Some members of the audience realized what had occurred only when the flames came very near to her body and she remained inert. A doctor and several members of the audience intervened and extricated her from the star.

Abramović later commented upon this experience: “I was very angry because I understood there is a physical limit: when you lose consciousness you can’t be present; you can’t perform.”



Rhythm 2, 1974

As an experiment testing whether a state of unconsciousness could be incorporated into a performance, Abramović devised a performance in two parts.

In the first part, she took a pill prescribed for catatonia, a condition in which a person’s muscles are immobilized and remain in a single position for hours at a time. Being completely healthy, Abramović's body reacted violently to the drug, experiencing seizures and uncontrollable movements for the first half of the performance. While lacking any control over her body movements, her mind was lucid, and she observed what was occurring.

Ten minutes after the effects of that drug had worn off, Abramović ingested another pill – this time one prescribed for aggressive and depressed people - which resulted in general immobility. Bodily she was present, yet mentally she was completely removed. (In fact, she has no memory of the lapsed time.) This project was an early component of her explorations of the connections between body and mind, which later took her to Tibet and the Australian desert. Following Rhythm 2, she set to develop the rest of the series of rhythm projects, continually testing her endurance.

Rhythm 0, 1974

To test the limits of the relationship between performer and audience, Abramović developed one of her most challenging (and best-known) performances. She assigned a passive role to herself, with the public being the force which would act on her.

Abramović had placed upon a table 72 objects that people were allowed to use (a sign informed them) in any way that they chose. Some of these were objects that could give pleasure, while others could be wielded to inflict pain, or to harm her. Among them were scissors, a knife, a whip, and, most notoriously, a gun and a single bullet. For six hours the artist allowed the audience members to manipulate her body and actions.

Initially, members of the audience reacted with caution and modesty, but as time passed (and the artist remained impassive) several people began to act quite aggressively. As Abramović described it later:

“The experience I learned was that…if you leave decision to the public, you can be killed.” ... “I felt really violated: they cut my clothes, stuck rose thorns in my stomach, one person aimed the gun at my head, and another took it away. It created an aggressive atmosphere. After exactly 6 hours, as planned, I stood up and started walking toward the public. Everyone ran away, escaping an actual confrontation.”[10]

Video of Marina Abramovic can be seen on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pno1gCrbeVk






** Info on Abramovic found on Wikipedia

Friday, April 2, 2010

International Children's Book Day

I absolutely adore children's book illustrations. Many of my faves are framed and hanging in my art room to provide vibrant pops of color and inspiration.  April 2nd is International Children's Book Day and there are so many great pieces out there using books and their pages so I decided to share some of them with you in honor of this fun "holiday".

The Poky Little Puppy purse from Ruby Lime Designs just makes me smile: http://www.rubylimedesign.blogspot.com/


La Petite Mort on Etsy has immortalized my absolute favorite character Curious George in this adorable piece of jewelry.  I just want to know if it is yellow in honor of the Man in the Yellow Hat?


Do you remember those Little Miss and Mr. books including Little Miss Sunshine, Mister Fickler, Mister Happy and my favorite Little Miss Chatterbox (my childhood nickname)? Although this necklace is technically for kids I am ordering mine and sporting it as an homage to the little girl who used to get in trouble for talking in class. 





Thursday, April 1, 2010

More Than Meets the Eye

What better day to start a blog than April 1st? That way, if it doesn't work out, I can always claim it was a joke lol. 

In honor of April Fool's Day here are a few products that are more than meets the eye:

ABreathofFrenchAir on Etsy offers a new take on washing your mouth out with soap:

Denture Soap: http://bit.ly/9SCW3D

Fake it with Amy Sedaris the Mistress of Pranks. Check out tricks to play on party guests in her book I Like You and enjoy her recipe in Ready Made Magazine's to make your own April Fool's cake http://www.jerriblank.com/amy_ready-made.html


And finally my idol Martha Stewart offers up some AFD pranks (funny AND classy - as only Martha can do it: http://bit.ly/aF9c91

Happy April Fool's Day Everyone!