HBO throws unique party for The Artist is Present premiere
For three months in 2010, visitors to New York's Museum of Modern Art lined up all night, in some cases, for a chance to sit face-to-face with the artist Marina Abramovic as a living, breathing exhibit in her "Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present" performance, which formed the centerpiece of a retrospective of her work at MoMa.
Each day, Abramovic morphed into the high priestess of New York society, decked in a flowing gown resembling a priestly robe, sitting motionless for seven hours at a time, gazing divinely at whoever sat down in a chair placed opposite her's.
After the world premiere of the documentary of the same name, which screened in a snowed-out Sundance on Saturday night, those invited to the cocktail, hosted by HBO Documentary Films, found themselves partaking in another Abramovic work of art. In one of the most original Sundance parties, at the aptly named "Silence is Golden" cocktail guests were given white doctor's jackets and space-age headphones to wear and told to remain silent.
Inside, Abramovic mingled with guests without saying a word, making one feel as if one had stepped inside the film. She even buttoned up my jacket when I arrived, and sent me off with a warm pat on the shoulder in search of champagne from the party's sponsor, Veuve Clicquot.
The only sound was that of a loud ticking in the background, resembling a clock, which accompanied images screened onto the walls of Abramovic and a variety of faces.
After an hour in silence at the Julie Nester Gallery, which lay in what looked, by that point in theday, like a magical wonderland with snow covered pine trees lining the roads, guests were allowed to talk. Suddenly loud chatting filled the air.
"I could have done with another hour of quiet," quipped Cynthia Adler, the niece of Stella Adler, the founder of the infamous acting academy, who was one of a few hundred guestsattending the HBO event.
Adler is making waves on the Internet with her spoof "Gwendolyn Bradford 1 Percent/Zuccotti Park/Occupy Wall Street" video, which is becoming a sure hit on YouTube with its send-up of the problems facing the economy. "I am also a social activist," she said before declaring she would be spending the night in the gallery with no way to reach the Hyatt in the snow.
---Liza Foreman
