The Artist is Present

I had already been fairly familiar with Marina Abramovic's "The Artist is Present," but the documentary added depth to the intrinsically moving performance by providing an intimate perspective of Abramovic.  The documentary gave the piece context, whereas before, I had only pictured the project from the blessed audience's point of view.  I considered that it must have been physically and emotionally tolling to sit in the same spot for months, to have a connection with each person, but when you are imagining the project from the audience's perspective and imagining your chance to sit in front of her, I admit that Marina becomes an object, and it is expected of her to carry out the project and provide that connection and insight, because her entire career has been about pushing the body's limits. This documentary forced you to realize her human side (though still brilliant and powerful), even hearing that she was nervous before the performance started, but seeing her seamlessly switch into performance mode as soon as she bowed her head in the chair.  The performance's length struck me the most when she pointed out she would step inside the museum during winter, and step out of the museum facing summer.  I loved learning about her personal life and hearing her old lover's testimonies, because while you could detect the drama of the past, a profound respect still existed for her.  It seems impossible to not respect her and her work!  There is something to be said of her effortless influence and our bewildered respect in that I felt a connection with her gaze, despite being separated from her by time and a camera.  To sum this up in a sentence, the documentary approached the subject flawlessly, and I am inspired by Marina.