Marina Abramović

It's about time I wrote about her.  I am endlessly fascinated by performance art mainly because of the uncharted territory and the polysemous nature of actions.  There is a lot of fourth wall breaking, self-awareness, and a sense of connectedness that comes from this type of art.  It can be difficult for the uninitiated (included yours truly), but when approached with an open mind, it can be enlightening and beyond compelling.  I had attended my first performance 18 months ago and the variety of approaches, media, and interactions blew my mind.  It was an MFA showcase at SAIC--I had a friend performing a beautiful piece--and I saw truly interactive pieces, pure performance, and an unsettling combination of the two.*  Marina is a pivotal figure in the art form and as Hennessy said, she's the Dr. Dre of performance art. [Watch that whole video - it's fantastic]

Monday Book Review - Stasi

I find the DDR/GDR one of the more fascinating Soviet satellites because of its divided nature.  It's what is sometimes called "a natural experiment", though that falsely implies it was by accident that it happened, and gives real insight into what happens when a nation is split in two and given two different regimes.  Reunification has been a difficult and wrenching process precisely because each former country's history has confronted each other's assumptions and world views.  Granted, the western hegemony is winning hands down, but there are uncomfortable truths about capitalism.  The most pernicious and vicious aspect of DDR/GDR history is the infamous Stasi.

Friday Round Up - 3/8

I have been all atwitter on twitter this week!  Lots of stuff going on in Europe these days, particularly the southeasterly neighbors in the Balkans.  Europeans be trippin', as they say.  There were so many happenings that this post is all news and very little play.  Scroll through my twitter for some of the fun diversions I found!

Armenian Songs

I had mentioned on twitter that I'm currently obsessed with Isabel Bayrakdarian. She is from Armenian heritage, though born in Lebanon and having lived in Canada since her teenage years.  In 2005, she traveled to Armenia and did a series of performances for traditional Armenian songs, included "Dle Yaman" accompanied by a duduk quartet.  This was all recorded in the film, "A Long Journey Home" in 2005.  I have not seen the entire film, but the excerpts I have seen (embedded below) are stunning.  Incidentally, I discovered her because of her work on the Lord of the Rings score, but the Armenian hymns she sings are so much more haunting and beautiful.  I love sonorous music, so the Armenian hymns are probably my favorite, though Dvorak gives them a run for their money.  Enjoy!

Monday Book Review

I'm trying to finish a book for a review, but it's going slowly.  I already mentioned the reason for the delay on twitter (my utter nerdiness), but suffice it to say that the other book is dense and academic.  I have been distracted by a far more entertaining and fantastic book with a storyline.  It's not that it's boring, but it doesn't exactly speak to me the way non-fiction does--you know, heartstrings and all.  Today's book is a non-fiction that does reach me that way.  Probably because Poland's culture is rife with poetic sensibility and a heroism that just won't quit.  Michael T. Kaufman's Mad Dreams, Saving Graces is a great read on the opposition movement, as well as individual acts of rebellion, in Poland.  The secondary title is Poland: A Nation In Conspiracy, which almost makes it sound like a spy novel, which really isn't that far off since it recollects subversive acts by many brave Poles.