Marina Abramovic has engaged the public in her work before, but her Marina Abramovic Institute in Hudson, NY will invite the world to learn about the ambitious medium of performance like never before. "Anyone who comes to the institute is an active participant," she says in the short video for her new Kickstarter project, which aims to raise $600,000 for the institute before August 25, 2013.
The renovations for the institute will cost $20 million total, and Abramovic has reportedly already paid for phase zero of the development from her own pocket. The Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu-designed building has cost $1.5 million to complete so far, so Marina has asked the public to invest in the potential of her space for a portion of the building costs. Those who commit money will get rewards like an 8-bit video game called Digital MAI ($5), access to live stream demonstrations of Abramovic Method exercises led by the artist herself ($25), or mementos that celebrate the early stages of MAI’s development, such as architectural design materials from OMA ($50). Those who donate $250 get preregistration for a ride in the compatibility racer, a brainpowered cart developed by neuroscientists for future installation at MAI, and higher level backers can select to workshop their project via webcam with Abramovic, or attend an event and lunch in New York City with her.
She adds, "In my life, I took so many risks, and I never knew what was on the end. I also knew that maybe I would fail...But what if we succeed? Then, it's all worth it." The Kickstarter itself is a risk, but seeing as how she's only started it today and gotten $7K in a few hours, it's possible she'll exceed her goal and succeed at launching the largest cultural institution to get off the ground on this platform. Pledge here.
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