Artist Marina Abramović has collaborted with the Russian-German pianist Igor Levit for performance piece that emphasises being “present”. In Goldberg (at the Park Avenue Armory until 19 December), Abramović aims to show how a meditative state of silence can increase mental awareness and enrich any experience, such as listening to music. “Everyone has a movie reeling in their mind, and the only time you stop thinking is when you sneeze or have an orgasm,” the artist explained during a panel discussion held after the performance on Sunday, 13 December.
Audience members are directed to surrender their electronics and other belongings in a locker and sit silently for 30 minutes while wearing noise-cancelling headphones. Then, a gong sounds and Levit plays a 75-minute rendition of the 1741 composition Goldberg Variations, by Johann Sebastian Bach.
At the panel, Abramović hinted that her next project might shift the focus from classical music to classic works of art. “You have these [masterpieces selling for millions of dollars], and [the people who buy them] can sit with the painting by themselves in their homes,” said Abramović, “My hope is to create a safe situation similar to [Goldberg] where the participant can be together, alone and without distractions, with a masterpiece, regardless of their income or status.”