Magnetic artist Marina Abramovic is offering art fans a spiritual break from what she describes as “dangerous” technology in Miami this week.
Abramovic is presenting her “Counting the Rice” exercise, a long-duration pastime which requires participants to separate grains of rice from lentils.
Speaking at the Tuesday opening of Design Miami, where she is presenting the exercise, Abramovic said, “I think it is important to know that technology is great, but it’s also a dangerous thing, because it takes up all our free time, and we need to learn how we can get this free time back for ourselves. And the only way to do this is to really immerse in some long-duration activities.”
She added, “It might seem ridiculous, but you need to make time for yourself, so if you can’t count the rice for three hours, you can’t do your life any good either.”
The Marina Abramovic Institute is also presenting #ArtBaselNaps at the Beyler Foundation Booth at Art Basel.
In a welcome move for those who are taking full advantage of the epic party scene surrounding the art fairs, participants, guided by trained facilitators, will be “encouraged to lie down, rest, and sleep with no time restriction,” according to a release from MAI, which adds, “This exercise will offer the public an opportunity to slow down within the lively, fast-paced environment of Art Basel.”
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