A Message from our Director – January 2015 (Pt. 2)

I’m always interested in learning more about new or alternative forms of performance, and how PAA can be involved in promoting them.  This summer, I get to do this in a big way by teaching a three-week course in Performance Art in London and Glasgow.  Keep an eye on PAA’s website for more details about this soon!

Performance Art and Contemporary Art are forms slightly beyond my training as an actor, and I’ve been learning SO much about them in the last few weeks as I work on the syllabus for the course.

Many people not trained or educated in these forms probably think of this kind of art as strange, uninspired, inaccessible, or at the extreme end…pointless.  So I’d like to share a short video clip that may change your mind.

Performance Art pioneer Marina Abramovic took a vow of silence from March 14th to May 31st, 2010 and spent those two and a half months in a chair at a table in a room at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York City.  Observers were invited to sit in a chair across from her for a duration of their choosing and she would give them her full attention while they were seated at the table.

At the end of this clip, Marina’s former partner and lover of 12 years, Uwe Laysiepen (Ulay), sits at the table.  This is their first reunion in 22 years and the result is incredibly touching and moving.

As always, I welcome you to e-mail me directly at reynolds@performingartsabroad.com  with any questions regarding our programs and how to get involved.  For a full list of locations where we offer programs, please see below.

Program Locations:

Belize
Brazil
Costa Rica
Ecuador
England
Galapagos Islands
Ghana
Ireland
Italy
Kenya
Philippines
South Africa
Spain
Thailand

Reynolds Whalen
Director of Performing Arts Abroad
reynolds@performingartsabroad.com
+1.413.341.5548