12 // NOV.14.2O12 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA/ARTS
The great social experiment Marina Abramović performs the longest piece of performance artwork the MoMA has ever seen • photo courtesy HBO
SARAHOWIE arts editor ______________________________
T
here are many famous psychological experiments that people cite when referencing true human nature. There is the Stanford prison experiment, the Milgram experiment and the Asch conformity experiment. It’s is rare that people think of Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0. Rhythm 0 is a performance art piece made in 1974 that is as relevant as ever. Abramović laid out a series of objects and sat completely still for six hours, letting the audience do whatever they wanted to her with the objects. Some objects inflicted pain, others pleasure. By the end of the six hours piece, Abramović had her clothes torn up, been stabbed with thorns and had a gun
held to her head.
Abramović is the grandmother of performance art. She has work spanning over three decades and is a prolific figure in art today. The Artist is Present is a documentary about Abramović’s career and follows the artist as she prepares for a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. In addition to the work being a retrospective, Abramović also performs the biggest performance artwork in MoMA history: during the entire time the show is open, Abramović sits immobile in a chair and invites the audience to sit across from her. This piece would end up being over 730 hours long. The most captivating part of the film is the series of shots with Abramović sitting across from the audience at the
MoMA. Abramović is intense and oftentimes the person sitting across from Abramović is brought to tears, sometimes weeping openly. Abramović and the person she sits across from do not exchange words. Seeing the reaction of the audience is incredibly powerful.
The story of Abramović’s work is interesting. At a time where the validity of performance art was still questioned, Abramović mutilated and manipulated herself, often naked in front of an audience. She has cut pentagrams into her skin, ran into walls and people, jumped into flames and stabbed and beaten herself. Abramović’s work arguably speaks for itself. The audience sometime feels uneasy, sometimes mindlessly captivated, sometimes empowered.
ALBUM REVIEWS AMBERSHEARER lance writer ______________________________
SARAHOWIE arts editor ______________________________
AZURE RAY
METZ
As Above So Below
(Saddle Creek Records) Dream-pop duo Azure Ray have proven themselves once again with the release of their new EP, As Above So Below. Maria Taylor and Orendo Fink bring together a unique combination of mystic harmonies and haunting melodies as they leave behind their folk-pop roots for an electronic sound. As Above So Below is a simplistic love story set in an otherworldly dream state. The album looks at the uncertainties of love and life and expresses the ups and downs of those two things. It begins with a heartbreaking track called “Scattered Like Leaves,” a song about the wreckage of a relationship and moving on from that hurt. The duo sings, “Is love everywhere? / Is sadness everywhere? / So I’ll keep moving,” expressing the heartbreak of love and pushing past it. The EP picks up with optimism in “Red Balloon,” a hopeful song about new love, and into the closing track, “We Could Wake,” with a haunting verse about facing a new day when you wake despite what it brings. As Above So Below is an ambitious, successful attempt by Azure Ray to change— something many bands cannot do well— which creates a unique refreshing sound.
Unfortunately, the filming of this documentary doesn’t quite do justice to what Abramović does. The film is at times rather dry, with too much time devoted to less important parts of the retrospective. If it wasn’t for Abramović’s presence, the film would undoubtedly fall flat. Abramović is fearless, strong, and has no reservations in her work. This does not completely translate to film. The Artist is Present is certainly a film that everyone should see. Abramović is an incredibly influential force in art and her poignant interviews with her explanations of her work are enthralling. Abramović has an intensity that she brings to everything. It’s a true pity that the film was shot in a way that really does not quite captivate the audience as her work does. Mind you, that is a tall order.
TOP 3O //ALBUMS charts • MURADERZINCLIOGLU Music Director, CJAM 99.1 FM more Info? earshot-online.com & cjam.ca indicates Canadian artist
Metz
*
(Sub Pop Records)
charts tabulated over a one week period prior to the release of this issue
Somewhere in the land of music there exists a lo-fi dreamland where heavily distorted instruments and abrasive vocals meet and create something wonderful. This music is called sludge rock, and making music that loud without it just becoming noise is a delicate balance. Toronto trio Metz think that this is no big deal. They have managed to combine raw vocals with deformed guitar and powerful drums in a way that can only be described as powerful. The result of this is their selftitled album, and it’s loud. There are times that language lacks the ability to describe the feeling that you get from a particular album. In Metz, there are really no words to describe how packed with raw energy the album is. Metz will definitely take you for a spin if you aren’t into in-your-face music. However, the album is orchestrated so well that even if sludge/grind-core/hardcore metal isn’t your thing, it’s still a great record. Standout songs include the distorted bliss that is “Nausea” and the moshable “Wet Blanket.” This ain’t your dad’s sort of punk rock, and that’s a great thing.
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METZ* - METZ (Sub Pop) THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA* - Island of Echoes (Pheromone) GEORGE MANURY* - Not For This Genre (Self-Released) KID KOALA* - 12 Bit Blues (Ninja Tune) THE HELLBOUND HEPCATS* - No.2 (Stomp) PURITY RING* - Shrines (Last Gang) DIAMOND RINGS* - Free Dimensional (Secret City) TY SEGALL - Twins (Drag City) GALLOWS - Gallows (Bridge Nine) FLYING LOTUS - Until The Quiet Comes (Warp) MATTHEW DEAR - Beams (Ghostly International) LADYHAWK* - No Can Do (Triple Crown) KIRK MACDONALD QUARTET* - Family Suite (For Large Ensembles) (Addo) AC NEWMAN* - Shut Down The Streets (Last Gang) CATLOW* - Pinkly Things (Aporia) VARIOUS* - Everybody Dance Now: Songs From Hamilton Vol. 7 (C+C Music Festival) LEARNING* - Kant (Self-Released) CELLOS* - Bomb Shelter (Dead Beat) ELIZABETH SHEPHERD* - Rewind (Do Right! Music) DAPHNI* - Jia Long (Merge) AZURE RAY - As Above So Below (Saddle Creek) KAKI KING - Glow (Velour) LEE PERRY - Master Piece (Born Free) NIKI & THE DOVE - Instinct (Sub Pop) THE XX - Coexist (Young Turks) BEATEN BY THEM - Kinder Machines (High Dynamic) CAMALKA - All The Way Up (Hybridity) SHINTARO SAKAMOTO - How To Live With A Phantom (Other) JD MCPHERSON - Signs and Signifiers (Rounder) THE FACELESS - Autotheism (Sumerian)