Artist Marina Abramović – the woman famous for staring into a record-breaking number of people’s eyes at the MOMA, letting an audience point a gun at her head, and convincing the public to take performance art seriously – has some opinions about our phones. Namely: They are distracting us, and we need to stop pretending like they aren’t. 

Her latest project is called “Goldberg,” and it is a collaboration with celebrated pianist Igor Levit and the Park Avenue Armory. The team says it’s designed to help audiences remember what full attention actually feels, looks, and sounds like. Through a performance of J.S. Bach’s notoriously difficult Goldberg Variations, they are attempting “a reimagining of the traditional concert experience,” in which attendees first trade their tickets for a key. Each key has a corresponding locker, in which they are instructed to put their phone, watch, computer, and any other personal belongings that tell time or receive a signal from outside.

Guests arriving at the Armory, putting their distractions behind lock and key. (James Ewing)

Once they’ve locked the doors, they’re given a pair of noise-canceling headphones. For the first thirty minutes of the performance, that’s it. The entire audience – and also Levit, the performer – will sit together in complete silence. 

The audience sitting in total silence. Yes, mandatory total silence. (James Ewing)

Levit then breaks the silence by starting to play his version of the Goldberg Variations. 

Legend has it that Bach originally wrote the Goldberg variations to soothe an insomniac Austrian Count through the night. (James Ewing)

On this week’s show, Abramović explains her “method” for really, truly listening:

Marina Abramović: You’re taking a taxi, you’re concerned you’re on time, you’re answering [a] last phone call and so on. And you’re arriving, and you sit down, and you hear the concert… but you’re not ready to hear anything. You’re just too busy. So I’m giving this time and space to the public to actually prepare themselves.

Manoush Zomorodi: But surely, I mean, we’re grown ups right? I’m coming to the concert. Can’t we just turn off our phone? Why does it have to be so heavy-handed?

Abramović: …If Igor has enormous discipline to learn by heart the Goldberg variations with 86 minutes, and play [them] in the most incredible magic way, we can have discipline to to honor this. And to just see, to have [a] new experience… the moment you don’t have your phone and you don’t have the watch to check if you’re sitting there for five minutes or ten, it just gives you a completely different state of mind.

Zomorodi: I’m concerned that my state of mind won’t be one of calm but rather one of agitation. That it’s going to be very difficult for me.

Abramović: Well this is where you have the real problem then. That you have to address the problem in your life. That is why it is good for you.

Listen above or anywhere you get your podcasts. Bonus points if you sit in total silence for 30 minutes first.

In this week’s episode:

“Goldberg” runs from December 7-19 at the Park Avenue Armory. Tickets are available here.

• Igor Levit, pianist and performer. His newest album is “Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski,” and it features the Goldberg Variations you’ll hear on today’s show. You can purchase on Amazon or iTunes.

• Alex Poots, Artistic Director of the Park Avenue Armory. 

• Marina Abramović, visual and performance artist.

Marina Abramovic on Rhythm 0 (1974) from Marina Abramovic Institute on Vimeo.

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