The Cleaning the House workshop by Marina Abramovic Institute will be open to public participation for the first time in the history of its teaching. Two sessions will take place between August 27 – September 4th, on a private location on the Serifos Island in Greece, led by artists Lynsey Peisinger and Paula Garcia.
During the workshop, participants will be asked to refrain from eating or speaking to bring body and mind to a quiet, calm state. Participants will be led through a series of long durational exercises to improve individual focus, stamina, and concentration. In a more structured and rigorous form, these exercises are what derived into the Abramovic Method, which MAI has presented in numerous locations, and include: morning swim, mutual gaze, slow motion exercises, blindfold in nature, looking at colors to mention but a few. These exercises are all originally developed to provide the participants with a set of tools in order to endure the challenges of durational performances.
ORIGINS
The Cleaning the House Workshop was developed by Marina Abramovic during her years of teaching. Since the 1980s, she developed and led numerous Cleaning the House workshops for her students at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunst in Hamburg, Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and later when she was a professor for Performance Art at the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunst in Braunschweig, where she taught for seven years.
Abramovic believes that when artists are given the opportunity to be in nature, away from distractions, and to participate in exercises and activities that have an inward focus, it improves their ability to generate new ideas and execute performances with intense focus and determination. This type of preparation is described by Abramovic as a complete internal reset, essential for performers, as they approach their work.
BODY AS A HOUSE
The title Cleaning the House refers to Abramovic’s idea that the body as a house. This workshop challenges the body’s physical and mental limits forcing it to respond and re-connect to its environment. This training for the body is a method towards heightened consciousness and deepened understanding for oneself.
COLLECTIVE PRACTICE
The workshop fosters a sense collectivity through a group practice and reduction of the body’s stimulants. Through it’s conditions and rigor, the group generates energetic exchanges through simple human contact. Like it’s previous function, the workshop forces introspection and for the body reaches a state of clarity.
Facts
Duration of workshop 4 days
There are 16 participants max per session.
All cellphones, laptops, watches and electronic devices will be collected.
During the workshop, participants should refrain from eating or speaking.
The conditions of each exercise will be explained at the moment of execution.
During the period of the workshop, water, herbal tea, and honey will be offered. It is extremely important for each participant to stay hydrated.
LOCATION Serifos, Vagia, Greece
TIMESLOTS
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August 27 – 30, 2018
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September 1-4
Total Cost €1950 (VAT included), includes: workshop materials, accommodations -shared, meal prior to and meal after workshop, onsite medical care (Does not include: travel to site, transfer from Athens to Serifos Island).
Find out more here!
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