Live performance versus documentation

There is such a great difference between experiencing performance through documentation and live. Watching Marina Abramovic’s “The Artist is Present” You don’t fully understand the experience. It’s interesting to watch because you wonder how she could do that with so many people and hold eye contact without saying a word with a complete stranger. It must really be something to have a moment like that without people you’ll never see again. Seeing her with her ex-husband you really can see how emotional and powerful a moment can be in time even when its something as simple as looking into someones eyes for a few minutes. I thought looking at her with her ex-husband was a beautiful moment. Actually doing the exercise in class was a different experience. Even though we only held eye contact for two minutes it still felt somewhat meaningful. My partner held some trouble holding eye contact with me so it was also a bit of a learning experience. It wasn’t difficult for me to hold eye contact because I don’t ever feel uncomfortable doing that. It was very interesting to look into my partners eyes and see the expression around their eyes. To see some of the muscles around their eyes move to show expression. I feel like looking into someones eyes you can learn something about them which I think is very special. After doing the performance myself I appreciated Marina Abramovic’s performance and artistry even more.