Archived Q&A with Matthew Akers

• Q

  

  HBODocs

  Please welcome #MarinaFilm's Matthew Akers. Matthew, thanks for joining us today. How are you feeling after last night’s HBO premiere?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  I'm just so thrilled. When I began production on the film I told Marina that having it seen by the widest audience possible was the goal. HBO really is the best of the best for television. Now here we are three years later, after that conversation, and it's a reality. For all of us that worked on the film this is a dream come true. For Marina, one of the reasons she agreed to do the film was the hope that it might be a platform to help performance move more into a mainstream consciousness. Hopefully on some scale that was accomplished last night.

• Q

  

  billskaleski

  DId the woman who took her shirt off in front of Marina ever get the chance to go back and sit in front of her?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  Unfortunately no. Marina though did not have a problem with her taking her dress off. She thinks we in the US care too much about nudity.

• Q

  

  beckyayay

  How did you choose your other interview subjects for the film?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  I actually interviewed many more people than were featured in the final edited version of the film. It was very difficult to decide what to leave out. Nevertheless, what became important were those interviews that spoke directly to the concepts that influenced the new performance. Also, the love story between Ulay and Marina became very central to the film so we chose the best interview moments that related to that. Lastly, we needed a few interview moments that spoke a bit about what performance art is so that is how we chose the bytes that appear in the beginning of the film. It became clear in the edit that we could pare the number of people that address all of these concerns down to the six or so featured in the film.

• Q

  

  DannyZambrano

  Why do you think she is so relevant nowadays?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  She is arguably the most important living performance artist. Certainly, she seems to have the biggest audience focused on her at the moment. That gives her a great platform to answer the question she poses in the film, "but why is this art?" That's a good thing for all those who participate in the genre.

• Q

  

  ValentinaMonte

  Who are some of your favorite artists?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  Too many to mention. I LOVE ART! I was just at the Pompidou Center in Paris two days ago walking around and several artists work inspired me including: Anish Kapoor, Paolo Giola, and Marc Fornes and Theverymany.

• Q

  

  beckyayay

  What were some of the challenges you faced when shooting this documentary?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  How to make a film about something that is supposed to be ephemeral. Determine who the "real" Marina is, and if that's even a relevant question. Finally, pairing down the enormous amount of footage and simplifying the story.

• Q

  

  ValentinaMonte

  Were you familiar with Marina Abramovic's work before you started working on the film?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  Yes a bit. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC with a degree in fine art and studied her there.

• Q

  

  sabrinacaluori

  How hard is it to gain the trust of your subject in a film like this?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  Sometimes it is a tricky path to navigate. This was highly unusual in that she was fearless from the beginning. Within the first week she gave me the keys to her apartment and told me there would never be restrictions. I feel so lucky. And, she did that knowing she would have zero editorial control.

• Q

  

  Jason Goldberg

  Why should people take performance art seriously?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  In my opinion, all art is a construct in the mind. When you look at a painting or experience a sculpture something is happening within you. Performance art has the power to trigger this same reaction.

• Q

  

  Kim Warner

  What was the most surprising thing you captured in the film?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  The sensation that the show became and the transformative power of Marina's new performance surprised me the most. I didn't see that coming.

• Q

  

  LoveEvangeline

  What was your opinion on Marina removing the table from the performance?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  I thought it was a great moment. Just when I thought the concept could not be any simpler she refined it even more. She has a focus on perfection that's inspiring.

• Q

  

  miminotyouyou

  Physically, Marina was always there in "The Artists Is Present"--Mentally, do you think she was always as "present" throughout every moment?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  I think that's a great question but not something I could possibly answer authoritatively. If I were to venture a guess I would say that she probably went in and out of being "present." It would seem that to arrive at a place of being "present" entails a tremendous amount of struggle, will power, and fortitude. Also, perhaps the definition of what it means to be "present" is up to the individual. It's a very complicated and interesting thing to ponder. For me, it conjures up the notion that time may have an elasticity about it.

• Q

  

  LoveEvangeline

  What is your opinion of Marina's work with Ulay?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  I think it's incredibly interesting stuff. Unfortunately, since performance art is meant to be ephemeral and I never actually witnessed that work first hand I can't really speak to much about it. From what I know from the documentation and stories I definitely wish I had been there. They had an amazing love story and the concepts they were working out in the "relation works" I find very relatable, for lack of a better word.

• Q

  

  ADiPesto

  Was it intimidating to work with an avant-garde superstar like Marina Abramovic?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  Not really because she made it so fun.

• Q

  

  AkersLove2

  How has your relationship evolved after filming Marina for so long and did you fall in love with her?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  From the start, I didn't drink the "Kool-Aid," as it were. I clicked with her on a personal level though. After all, she is so funny and charming. However, I was skeptical about her art. It took me a while to come around. I can say now that I love her as a friend and have a deep respect for her art.

• Q

  

  Becky Rho

  I attended this exhibit & remember thinking this must have been exhausting on Abramovic. What was the filming process like for you and how were you affected?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  I personally shot nearly 700 hours of footage over the course of 12 months. Usually, I would be exhausted by this. For some reason I don't remember ever feeling that tired. Perhaps I'm now romanticizing the experience. Nevertheless, I can say with certainty that I was captivated by nearly every moment.

• Q

  

  MABthefairy

  Where do you draw the line between art and exploitation?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  If I had to guess, I would say it may have something to do with intention. I think all art on some level is the exploitation of ideas. If the intention is to provoke thought and discourse or to exploit beauty then perhaps its art. If it's harmful or destructive to the audience then perhaps its not art.

• Q

  

  LoveEvangeline

  Marina's preparation for this piece wasn't too thoroughly described, can you talk more about it?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  Sure. Marina says, "The Artist is Present" embodies everything she has been working towards. It has taken her 40 years to come to a point where she can sit silently in a space like that and have such an impact. So really, her preparation wasn't revealed simply over the course of the seven months prior to the performance. Rather, she has been preparing to sit in the Atrium her whole life. The film is structured in a way to help the viewer understand that.

• Q

  

  miminotyouyou

  What draws you to documentaries? You have quite the extensive background with them. What makes you choose the ones you pursue?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  Well, sometimes they choose me and sometimes I get to choose. In this case I was able to choose. The reason I chose to do it was because it was an opportunity to challenge my preconceptions about this form of art and also to draw back the curtain on an endless fascinating person.

• Q

  

  HBODocs

  That’s all the time we have for the Matthew Akers Q&A. A huge thank you to Matthew for joining us. Is there anything else you’d like to say?

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  Matthew Akers says:

  This film was born out of my skepticism and marina’s fearlessness, and I feel so privileged to have been able to take this journey. I hope that the message ultimately of this film is that art, when executed well, has the power to be transformative - that others are inspired by this to not only look at art and experience it in another way, but also to make it themselves.