The Lost Art of Being PRESENT

Words by Kara Carter

In today’s world, everyone has their smartphone in their hand or pocket, and if not that, they have a smart watch keeping them connected but oftentimes miss seeing the people who are directly in front of them. When was the last time you made eye contact with a person and saw them? Marina Abramovic, a performance artist, explores the idea of being present within the body and surroundings through her work.

In our fast paced, technology centered society, how can we be present? How can we make sure we are being seen and see others?

Abramovic founded “The Marina Abramovic Method” which focuses on a meditative state of being present with the concentration on breath, eye contact, groundedness and clearing the mind of all other distractions. In her 2010 performance at the Museum of Modern Art titled “The Artist is Present,” Abramovic sat in a chair and the observer was encouraged to sit across and be present in the moment. Abramovic would sit in silence and simply look and be present with the person in the chair across from her until the person chooses to get up and leave. To an outsider this could be perplexing, because what is she doing? What is the art piece ?

This performance sparked controversy by many people waiting hours before the museum opened for a chance to experience this performance art piece. Many thought it was pointless, because she is just sitting there, right? Some found the experience therapeutic, and even emotional. Many left in tears with a feeling of being seen for the first time. Those who experienced this art piece, highlighted the importance of being present and how often it is overlooked in our everyday society.

SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE MORE PRESENT IN OUR OWN LIVES?

The Marina Abramovic Method is described as the “purpose of teaching endurance, concentration, perception, self control, willpower, and confrontation of mental and physical limits.”

She has specific exercises in order to focus on being present with your body and surroundings.

One of the exercises consists of gathering a bag of uncooked rice and lentils and counting each grain and committing to it. The exercise is to test the person’s attention span, endurance and concentration. This task may seem mundane, but when was the last time you committed to doing something this tedious, that used your mind in this matter, without an instant reward?

Another exercise challenges the person to go outside and simply hug a tree and complain. Yes, literally hug a tree and speak aloud all of your grievances. This may seem strange, but it does bring a connectedness to nature in itself. Some have found that when they are in this physical state, they could not bring themselves to complain, realizing their problems are so minute and not worth the breath. “Turns out that hanging out with the trees makes my problems seem smaller, and not worth bothering the forest giants with” said one skeptic.

Another method of exercise in the Marina Abramovic Method is to get down on one’s hands and knees and clean the floors. This may seem strenuous, but it is purposeful. By getting on all fours, it allows the person to be able to see and feel every detail of the floor. Being intentional and careful with every stroke of a scrub and noticing things that may have been overlooked before.

With these exercises, it can help ease the mind of the grievances that swirl in the head, taking us out of the present moment. We can all learn to put the phone down, stop those distracting fleeting thoughts and embrace what is around us. Focus. Make eye contact. Breathe. And most importantly, be present.