Have you been seen?
Hey folks,
I’ve recently discovered this amazing performance artist! She has, shall we say disturbingly inspired me!
Enjoy!
How often do we move on before we've even registered the significance of where we are in the present?
We're like fresh puppies panting at the next thing and the next thing and the next.
Pause. Breathe. Stay.
There’s an artist, Marina Abramović, who performed an art piece that was simply sitting and looking into the eyes of strangers. In 2010 she performed this at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
“Sit silently with the artist for a duration of your choosing”—so the instructions read on a small plaque.
She sat at a table every day for every hour her exhibition was on - no breaks, no food, no water. As people sat with her they would often begin awkwardly reporting feelings of fear or embarrassment but gradually this inward squirm adjusts to the bizzare and foreign nature of the situation. Slowly, but surely, if the person allows it, they become seen. Their walls fall and defences peel from their skin as they let the moment embrace them. People sat opposite her for 55 mins, 10 min, 75 mins, 20 mins - each having their moment of truly seeing and being seen.
Some take a long time to reach this moment of being seen, others are more comfortable with the nakedness of staring into the eyes of a stranger. But either way, they are changed.
As an artist myself, I'm used to hearing about these kinds of works and projects that push the boundaries of normality. However, I confess, when first hearing about this work I didn't think much of it. But as I sat with it (no pun intended), the genius of it dawned on me.
The extreme nature of this work is not stupid, it's required.
It's required because we are so far removed from ourselves, so uncomfortable with the idea of sitting with our own thoughts, desires and pains, let alone having someone else peer into them.
It's a strong word, but I wonder if at the core of us all is a seed of shame. A great fear of true vulnerability. It's as though we've been covering our nakedness with the leaves of Eden for ages past. And yet, one of the most healing things we as humans can experience is being seen, and without words, accepted wholly.
Here’s a TED TALK that she did in 2015, it gives a little insight into her heart and mind.
CREATIVE PROMPT
I’m not sure if you can actually call this a creative prompt, but it might inspire something creative.
I’ve noticed in myself, just how often I look at people, but I don’t really look at them. I’ll take them in in a general capacity, but I don’t often observe them - really look at their eyes or the story their face is telling. It’s also a little confronting. But I know that when people really look at me, there’s also something endearing or special about it.
So, this is the challenge. To really look at the people you come in contact with this week…not in a creepy way! More in a “I see you and you matter” kind of way.
I’d love to hear how you go with this. Feel free to drop a comment below.
Keep imagining, peeps!
