By Ben Fama
On Saturday, 3 August 2013, The
Atlas Review, in cooperation with the Marina Abramovic Institute, hosted a long
durational performance in the screening room of Brooklyn’s upscale Wythe Hotel.
Under Marina’s instruction, more than 55 performers read Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris
in its entirety. “Special guests” included Marina Abramovic, Neil Gaiman, and
Lady Gaga.
Marina introduced the event by skyping
in on a screen and relating an allegory about a shepherd walking beneath the
stars. The shepherd taught Marina to close her eyes in order to listen better
when talking to other people. Event staff then passed out white blindfolds and
encouraged the audience to wear them for as much of the performance as they
chose.
The first reader was Lady Gaga.
Gaga provided a short video, which began with a flash of an image of herself,
short hair falling in her eyes. The video went to black screen as she read the
first page of the novel. The clip ended with a quick flash of the same image, a
look I overheard someone else describe as a Mara-Rooney-Girl-with-the-Dragon-Tattoo-esque. Other standouts included Lynne Tillman, Jennifer Tamayo (who performed with a megaphone), and Monica McClure
who collaborated with dancer Cori Kresge.
Considering that Gaga appeared alongside
Marina at the 20th Annual Watermill Center Summer Benefit just last
Saturday, 27 July 2013, her participation here isn’t surprising.
Author bio:
Ben
Fama is the author of New Waves, Aquarius Rising, and the artist book Mall
Witch. He is the co-editor of Wonder.
His work has been featured and discussed in The
Brooklyn Rail, Bomb Magazine, Action Yes, Jubilat, and on the Best American Poetry Blog. He lives in New York
City.
The story of mere humans examining a huge planet which in turn examines them!? Now where have I heard that before... #paparazzi, #malegaze, #JoCalderone
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