Marina Abramovic discusses ‘hardcore student’ Lady Gaga

Performance artist says 'Bad Romance' singer was a 'quite incredible'

Performance artist Marina Abramovic has talked about what it was like teaching Lady Gaga her method, and why the singer wanted to film a short video showing her practicing the techniques.

Gaga first spoke of her appreciation of the Serbian artist’s work in 2010, with the pair planning a collaboration since then. Earlier this week the US pop star filmed a video for Abramovic’s Kickstarter campaign, which is seeking funds for a centre where people can practise her method, which is designed to heighten participants’ awareness of their physical and mental experience in the present moment. The method helps participants to develop skills for observing long durational performances through a series of exercises, some of which are performed by Gaga in the video.

Abramovic has said that Gaga’s participation had dramatically raised awareness of her work, and that there had a been a particular uptake in $1 donors. Abramovic previously stated all backers would receive a hug from her, while $25 backers would teach them certain exercises via livestream. “I was very impressed with how humble and incredibly determined and hardcore this kid is,” Abramović told MTV of Gaga’s interest in her method. She said, ‘I want you to teach me, I want to be your student’. She is a hardcore student. I had to blindfold her and she was in the forest for three hours, eaten by mosquitoes and spiders, scratched by the bushes. It was quite incredible. Whatever I told her she met the exercise absolutely to the end, never complaining. And my exercises are pretty tough.”

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The Kickstarter aims to raise more than £1million for a building which will act as an “interdisciplinary performance and education centre”. Not everyone is a fan, however. Deadmau5 tweeted his disapproval of the video with a series of messages mocking Gaga’s contribution.

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