Marina Abramovic is rolling out plans for her very own art institute in Hudson, and–sigh–she’s using Kickstarter to fund it.
…W hich reminds me, I have this great idea: We should all go in together on Kickstarter to ban celebrity Kickstarters. Rich people: We don’t have any extra money lying around to bankroll your vanity projects. Stop asking. Zach Braff: I’ve seen your apartment–you want my $10 to make Garden State 2? I suppose you’ll want another $10 when it hits theaters? Mmm-HMM. (Guys, I really think we can make this celebrity-Kickstarter-free world a reality–but I’m going to need your help to get it off the ground. Check out the pledge gifts, and consider donating. Any amount helps.)
Where was I? So, the Marina Abramovic Institute: it looks absolutely terrifying. When guests enter what appears today to be a dimly lit subterranean chamber–but which Abramovic promises will one day be a clinical, white-washed reception hall–they are asked to sign a contract promising they won’t leave for at least six hours (red flag). All of their belongings are taken away from them, and they are issued a white lab coat and headphones “to completely block any sound.”
“… So there is nothing to remind you of the outside world,” Abramovic says, ominously.
At this point in her description, the world “institute” takes on an entirely different connotation. When she starts talking about a crystal cave, (“you have to sit with the closed eyes”) and the meditation chamber (“the bed you have to lie on is suspended in space by a magnetic force”), and the “special wheelchair” that guests are confined to–one gets a very uneasy feeling about the plans Abramovic has for this place.
Our existing fears were confirmed when we saw what Abramovic did to Lady Gaga there this weekend. The video, by the way–very NSFW.
The Abramovic Method Practiced by Lady Gaga from Marina Abramovic Institute on Vimeo.
Yep, that pretty much settles the issue in our mind.