“The House with the Ocean View”: Isolation as a means of resistance in the work of Marina Abramović
Written by Jessica Rotstein, McGill University
Edited by Marie Frangie
“Over the twelve days, many were deeply affected by this piece. I felt, in a small way, as though this biggest of cities had begun to take me in.”[1]
Introduction
In November 2002, Marina Abramović’s The House with the Ocean View (2002) (fig. 1) opened at the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York. Abramović created The House with the Ocean View as a performance art piece in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City.[2] She sought to create a space of connection, rest, and meditation to escape the overwhelming fear and confusion of the time.[3] In preparation for the performance, the gallery installed three elevated rooms about five feet from the floor. The fourth wall of each platform facing the public was open. One platform held a toilet and a shower, one had a chair and a table, and one had a bed. Each platform was connected to the floor by a ladder—only in place of rungs, the ladder had sharp carving knives with blades facing upwards (fig. 2). The knives would prevent Abramović from ending the performance until the entirety of all twelve days had passed. For those twelve days, she lived on the platforms, consuming only filtered water and performing all bodily functions—showering, urinating, sitting, sleeping – in full view of the public. When creating the piece, Abramović stated that she wanted “to see if it [was] possible to use simple daily disciplines, rules, and restrictions to purify [her]self.”[4] The public was given three conditions to view the performance: “1) use a telescope, 2) remain silent, and 3) establish energy dialogue with the artist.”[5] Abramović sets out to experiment with the notion of personal purification through restrictions of food intake, movement, and personal entertainment in an attempt to shift both her own energy and the audience’s.[6]
Figure 1. Marina Abramović, The House with the Ocean View, living installation, November 15 – 26, 2002, Sean Kelly, New York.
Originally performed in the wake of 9/11 to provide a sense of certainty amidst fear and confusion, The House with the Ocean View remains politically relevant today, offering a critique of the oversaturated media landscape and a call to prioritize somatic practices in an increasingly globalized and interconnected society. In a media landscape constantly being inundated by negative news, continual engagement with technology has led to a disconnect from our physical selves and our communities.[7] Through the study of somatic practices and the power of kinesthetic empathy, this paper will examine Abramović’s intended goal of personal purification when creating The House with the Ocean View and argue that the piece remains politically relevant beyond its originally intended scale in the modern digital age. Abramović highlights the transformative power of isolation as a means to reconnect with oneself and others, demonstrating its enduring political relevance in a hyper-connected world. Rather, the loss of a delineated sense of time and external distractions can create a space for active resistance against an overwhelming system. Beginning with an examination of somatic practices as utilized in both the Feldenkrais Method and the Abramović Method, this paper highlights the power of kinesthetic empathy in fostering reconnection between the performer and the audience. The paper concludes by analyzing how the act of isolation as a means for reconnection can act as a tool of resistance against an oversaturated and overstimulating media landscape.
Figure 2. Detail of ladder in The House with the Ocean View.
Understanding Somatic Practices: The Feldenkrais Method and The Abramović Method
Over the course of her performance art career, Marina Abramović developed a signature method that allowed her to attain a state of mind suited for gruelling, endurance-based work.[8] She researched various spiritualities, oftentimes learning from cultures outside her own, such as the aboriginal tribes of Australia or Chinese Buddhists.[9]Abramović has also integrated ideas from movement theorist Thomas Hanna, who inspired the growing popularity of somatic practices in the Western world beginning in the seventies.[10] These techniques included long-durational exercises to improve focus, stamina, concentration, resistance to pain and the ability to break through both physical and mental boundaries.[11] In The House with the Ocean View, she employed many of the techniques learned to withstand twelve days without food or speaking while still intimately connecting with audience members. Abramovic coined her practices as the “Abramović Method,” centred around the notion of being present in both time and space and incorporating exercises that prioritize breath, motion, stillness, and concentration.[12] By using her body as a medium, she wishes to encourage others to become fully present in their own lives and to embrace the individual and communal empowerment that arises.[13] Her performance, House with the Ocean View, is one of many examples of the “Abramović Method” at work. Indeed, she incorporates various somatic practices to endure the physical and mental pain of the performance in the hopes of connecting with her audience.
Celia Vara’s research article, “Kinesthetic Empathy as Embodied Research,” underscores the transformative potential of somatic practices in performance art, offering deeper connections to the body as a tool of empowerment. Her text focuses on Catalan artist Fina Miralles and her corporeal performances under Francoist Spain.[14] The Francoist dictatorship lasted from 1936 until 1975 and was characterized by censorship and repression, specifically against women.[15] The regime sought to impose traditional values, which advocated for the total subordination of a wife to her husband.[16] In Miralles’ short film, Petjades (Footprints, 1976-77), Miralles is shown slowly walking around the streets of Barcelona.[17] She is wearing a pair of sandals with her name imprinted on the soles and covered in ink. As she takes each slow, intentional step, her name is imprinted on the street. The audio track, a voiceover by Miralles herself, plays in the background of the film, narrating to the viewer an explanation regarding how her footprints serve as a protest against the regime. By imprinting her name on the street, Miralles displays ownership over the public sphere, resisting the authorities that govern a capitalist society and enforce restrictions on both the public and private spheres.[18] The corporeal agency practiced by Miralles can be understood as a form of bodily resistance in a socio-political context permeated by strict bodily restrictions—specifically for women.[19] Although Abramović is not performing The House with the Ocean View under a restrictive regime, her use of somatic practices explores physical and psychological endurance as a means of mental liberation. By restricting her movements and adhering to a strict daily ritual, Abramović sought to heighten her awareness and transcend physical discomfort. Through somatic practices, she turned the act of endurance into a meditative practice, demonstrating how limitations can lead to profound self-discovery. The works of both Miralles and Abramović demonstrate that limitations—whether imposed by external forces or deliberately self-inflicted—can become tools to challenge and redefine the boundaries of personal, political and societal freedoms.
Moreover, in her text, Vara references her personal experience with the “Feldenkrais Method,” a form of somatic education founded by Moshe Feldenkrais.[20] The “Feldenkrais Method” claims to reorganize connections between the brain and body in order to improve both physical movement and psychological state.[21] This method focuses on ease, slowness, reduction of effort, and exploration of new movement sequences.[22] It examines the micro-movements of the body and explores how subtle actions can create new bodily awareness and possibilities of transformation. The “Feldenkrais Method” and the “Abramović Method” share common ground in emphasizing heightened bodily awareness and intentional movement. Throughout the duration of The House with the Ocean View, every movement that Abramović makes is intentional: “It was very important that every activity I performed be on the highest level of consciousness….”[23] Drawing on Vara’s conception of the “Feldenkrais Method” along with Abramović’s previous explanation of the Abramović Method, I argue that the somatic techniques incorporated into The House with the Ocean View challenge the prevalent overstimulation caused by the media prevalent in contemporary society, and offer an alternative mindset grounded in slowness, focus, and depth. Thus, the somatic practices gleaned from the performance can re-initiate a sense of both personal and communal feelings through emphasized mind-body connections.
The Power of Kinesthetic Empathy for a Contemporary Audience
The House with the Ocean View creates a tension between isolation and interaction, suggesting that isolation can be a productive way to reconnect with both the self and others. The piece encouraged audiences to spend as little or as much time viewing the performance as they wished, but prohibited spoken interaction with the performer. [24] The audience was encouraged to appreciate the silent camaraderie of the performer-audience relationship in the intimacy of the space. The House with the Ocean View invited spectators to experience isolation not as a barrier but as a pathway to connection through the concept of kinesthetic empathy. Deidre Sklar, a dance ethnologist and performance scholar, defined kinesthetic empathy in 1994 as “the capacity to participate with another’s movement or sensory experience of movement, allow[ing] viewers to deeply resonate with the physical expressions and emotions of the performer.”[25] In other words, kinesthetic empathy is the ability to understand and share the physical experiences and emotions of others through movement and body language.[26] Through observation, audiences engage in a shared vulnerability, creating a silent dialogue that counters the notion of isolation as disconnection. This concept is particularly relevant in dance and performance art, where the absence of spoken language relies heavily on body language for communication.[27] The silent dialogue created between the performer and audience counters the idea that isolation and silence lead to disconnection.
Further, kinesthetic empathy plays a significant role in The House with the Ocean View, as Abramović intended for the performance to provide a space where the audience could sit with their emotions, free from any external distractions. Through the act of isolation, Abramović was putting forth a statement of vulnerability and intimacy, creating an atemporal space focused on pure presence. Speaking of the audience, she noted: “I think when they saw me so vulnerable, so open, the response was like an avalanche of emotion or an ocean. That was the title of the piece, ‘The House with the Ocean View,’ and the ocean was their minds. They helped me through.”[28] The relationship between Abramović and the audience was symbiotic, with both parties receiving mutual support from each other. Hence, the performance bridges isolation and connection through kinesthetic empathy, creating a powerful communal experience that transcends spoken language and initiates genuine emotional engagement.
The power of kinesthetic empathy is further captured by Abramović’s former assistant, James Westcott, who documented his personal experience spending five full days at the Sean Kelly Gallery, watching the performance live. On Westcott’s second day watching the performance and Abramović’s ninth day living in the gallery, Westcott set out to make eye contact with the artist—something she encouraged from audience members[29]; “She walks over to me and stops dead, staring at me. I feel something very powerful and can’t help smiling. I feel dizzy.”[30] The “energy dialogue” Abramović set out to create is evidently captured in Wescott’s physical reaction when making eye contact with her. For Abramović: “the locking of gazes usually lasted a long time, creating a very intense communication of energy.”[31] The exchange of energy that resulted from eye contact is an example of kinesthetic energy, where the performer-audience relationship is deepened as they share an emotional experience through body language. Westcott reiterates the feeling of kinesthetic empathy when he writes of his fifth day and Abramović’s twelfth day in the Sean Kelly Gallery. “She breathes deeply, [and] turns her palms upward…The audience reveres. This is how religions start.”[32] Through the exchange of energies in the room, the audience can connect with Abramović’s emotions through a kinesthetic consciousness. Westcott states: “I can feel her feeding off the incredible energy and excitement in the room.”[33] As much as the audience felt Abramović’s energy, she also felt theirs, using it to keep herself going. In her 2016 memoir, Walk Through Walls, Abramović reflected on the piece and stated: “My viewers and I felt each other’s presence intensely. There was a shared energy in the room.”[34] After twelve days of living in the Sean Kelly Gallery, Abramović made a speech to the crowd: “I have never made a speech at the end of a performance, but this time, I needed it because it’s completely dependent on the audience. The work could not continue without you.”[35]
Following Abramović’s request for audience participation, Westcott set out to make a new connection every day with those around him.[36] This practice of connecting with strangers exemplifies the power of holding space for emotions and the power of reconnection through isolation. Westcott notes how the audience members who went to watch Abramović daily began to form relationships with one another. After spending five days in the gallery, a woman approached Westcott and said: “I just wanted to say that it was wonderful sharing the experience with you, and I wanted to say thank you.”[37] The performance was about much more than Abramović’s personal purification—it was about connection on a broader scale. By giving the audience a space to reflect, void of any external distractions, Abramović succeeded in creating a community.
The kinesthetic empathy felt by both performer and audience suggests that isolation—rather than creating disconnection—can foster greater intimacy and understanding. Thus, the shared experience of vulnerability, enabled by kinesthetic empathy, can be understood as a form of resistance against the desensitization of the modern media landscape.
The Productive Nature of Isolation: Reconnection with Self and Others
Extending beyond the scope of a single performance art piece, the Abramović Method prioritizes the “philosophy of simplicity and mindfulness,” highlighting the power of isolation as a means to immerse oneself in the present.[38] In an era where technology’s rapid evolution often outpaces the individual's ability to adapt, practicing simplicity can become an essential coping mechanism. The House with the Ocean View confronts the viewer with the simplicity of life—drinking, sleeping, urinating—in a cyclical fashion. In this way, by sitting in the gallery and embracing its silence, one can strip away the non-essential and focus on finding connections that extend beyond digital screens and continuous notifications.[39]
Political Relevance of Isolation: The Paradox of Connectivity
When the 9/11 terrorist attacks took place, television screens and radios across North America reported the news, keeping listeners up to date. Although information spread rapidly worldwide, reporting was mostly contained by the mentioned media. In contrast, in today’s media landscape, the constant bombardment of information and exposure to global tragedies—amplified by 24-hour news cycles and platforms such as TikTok and Twitter—have become nearly impossible to escape, as many of our daily lives involve interactions with screens. Local disasters become international crises within minutes, creating a constant influx of negative news that can lead to emotional exhaustion and desensitization. A 2023 study by Raunak Pillai and colleagues demonstrated that repeatedly encountering headlines concerning traumatic events reduces feelings of anger and moral judgment, highlighting the numbing effects of media saturation.[40] This phenomenon, often described as “doom-scrolling,” exacerbates emotional fatigue, diminishing our ability to connect and empathize with others.[41] The study looks at the frequency in which media is consumed, specifically due to the prevalence of smartphones and the compulsive need that many people feel to check social media or news alerts.[42] Similarly, a study by Robert T. Muller argues that the constant bombardment of negative news and stressful videos shared on social media sites leads to desensitization.[43]
Situated in a modern-day context, The House with the Ocean View can then be understood as framing isolation, not as a retreat away from society but as an act of resistance— creating space to process emotions rather than succumbing to numbness. Abramović stated, “This performance wouldn’t make sense in the East…People don’t need to see it there.”[44] In reflecting on this, Nina Melandri, an artist and teacher who attended all twelve days of Abramovic’s performance, noted: “There’s a lot of projection involved, maybe it’s a political statement, especially because this is happening in New York City. It’s about changing and purifying the atmosphere.” [45]Abramović felt the performance wouldn’t make sense in the East, as she views Western culture as disconnected from the self and the mind, compared to Eastern practices, such as Tibetan culture, which she views as more in tune with the mind-body connection.[46] Meledanri’s insights emphasize the performance’s role as a response to collective trauma. In describing the piece as a way to “purify the atmosphere,” she suggests that the performance functions as ceremonial cleaning, addressing the communal unease and emotional stagnation in a post-conflict era. Abramović’s deliberate choice to situate the performance in New York City underscores its role in engaging with the city’s psychological wounds, offering viewers a moment of stillness to confront collective anxieties.
While The House with the Ocean View was not originally intended to comment on the digital age, this paper argues that in today’s media landscape, the piece can be understood as a critique of the paradox of connectivity. This paradox posits that in the digital age, where technological advancements can foster global awareness, there is a lack of genuine social engagements between individuals and their communities.[47] A 2023 study by Jonathon James Canete and Digvijay Pandey highlights this paradox, noting that increased reliance on digital technology has been seen to reduce meaningful social interactions, create division and lead to alienation among communities.[48] Though originally intended to advocate for simplicity and reconnection with the self and environment in the wake of tragedy, Abramović’s piece provides a crucial framework for countering desensitization brought on by contemporary media and technology. Her emphasis on intentional solitude and somatic practices sparks an emotional awareness in the viewer, serving as a remedy for the disconnection of modern life. If performed today, the piece's emphasis on silence and simplicity would contrast with the constant noise and media stimulation, providing a space and the tools to fight the prevalent desensitization effects.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The House with the Ocean View by Marina Abramović transcends its initial context as a response to the collective trauma that was brought on to New York post-9/11 terrorist attacks. This paper has demonstrated that, if performed today, the piece’s ability to create kinesthetic connections between the audience and the performer, providing a space to connect with one’s emotions, would remain. As media constantly permeates our existence, it no longer matters where you are situated to discern trauma happening from around the world. Due to this, it is now more important than ever to give oneself the time and space to process and feel emotions. Isolation, understood in this way, becomes an act of resistance against desensitization to media. The simplicity and orderliness of The House with an Ocean View offers the spectator time and space to reconnect with themself and others. By using the straightforwardness of daily rituals and somatic practices, Abramović transforms the act of isolation into an opportunity for reconnection, resisting the desensitization and emotional fatigue prevalent in today’s media-saturated world. The performance’s reliance on kinesthetic empathy demonstrates how silent, bodily communication can foster profound intimacy and understanding, even without spoken language. Furthermore, its emphasis on creating space for reflection highlights the necessity of resisting the paradox of connectivity in the digital age, where technological advancements often exacerbate disconnection. Abramović’s work serves as a guide for navigating the alienation of modern life and community reconnection as a means of healing. In a world increasingly shaped by digital media, The House with the Ocean View remains a powerful reminder of the transformative potential of presence, vulnerability, and collective energy.
Endnotes
[1] Marina Abramović and James Kaplan, Walk through Walls: A Memoir, 1st ed. (New York: Crown Archetype, 2016).
[2] Marina Abramović and James Kaplan, Walk through Walls: A Memoir
[3] Naomi Martin, “Iconic Artworks: The Marina Abramović Performance 'The House with the Ocean View,’” Artland Magazine, accessed November 28, 2024, https://magazine.artland.com/iconic-artworks-the-marina-Abramović-performance-the-house-with-the-ocean-view.
[4] Abramović and Kaplan, Walk through Walls, 263.
[5] Abramović and Kaplan, Walk through Walls, 264.
[6] Abramović and Kaplan, Walk through Walls.
[7] Robert T. Muller and Nikita Baxi, “The More News Headlines We See, the Less We Care,” reviewed by Margaret Foley, Psychology Today, accessed December 4, 2024, https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/talking-about-trauma/202408/the-more-news-headlines-we-see-the-less-we-care.
[8] "Marina Abramović Longevity Method," Marina Abramović Longevity Method, accessed November 28, 2024, https://Abramovićlongevity.com/marina-Abramović-longevity-method/?srsltid=AfmBOorXxQdyiVVM4v7RvY5sbmzrHo-pqAHnD8ujlwr_TxwfvzH_UU6-.
[9] Abramović and Kaplan, Walk through Walls.
[10] “The Abramović Method,” MAI - Marina Abramović Institute, accessed December 5, 2024, https://www.mai.art/the-Abramović-method.
[11] “The Abramović Method,” MAI - Marina Abramović Institute.
[12] “The Abramović Method,” MAI - Marina Abramović Institute.
[13] "Marina Abramović Longevity Method," Marina Abramović Longevity Method.
[14] Celia Vara, “Kinesthetic Empathy as Embodied Research,” Performance Research 26, no. 4 (2021): 130–136, https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2021.2005973.
[15] Celia Vara, Lecture for The Politics of Art (POLI 432): "Somatic Ways of Knowing: Performance Art as Corporeal Resistance," McGill University, October 3, 2024.
[16] Celia Vara, Lecture for The Politics of Art (POLI 432)
[17]Celia Vara Martín, “Kinesthetic Experience: Emancipatory Corporeal Scores,” Humanities 12, no. 6 (2023): 138, https://doi.org/10.3390/h12060138.
[18] Celia Vara Martín, “Kinesthetic Experience: Emancipatory Corporeal Scores”
[19] Vara, “Kinesthetic Experiences.”
[20] Celia Vara, “Kinesthetic Empathy as Embodied Research,” 132., ScienceDirect, "Feldenkrais Method," accessed December 9, 2024, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/feldenkrais-method.
[21] Celia Vara, “Kinesthetic Empathy as Embodied Research”
[22] Vara, “Kinesthetic Empathy as Embodied Research”
[23] Abramović and Kaplan, Walk through Walls, 265.
[24] Abramović and Kaplan, Walk through Walls.
[25] Martha Eddy, “Somatic Practices and Dance: Global Influences,” Dance Research Journal 34,2 (2002): 46–62. https://doi.org/10.2307/1478459.
[26] Vara, “Kinesthetic Empathy as Embodied Research.”
[27] Celia Vara Martín, “Kinesthetic Experience: Emancipatory Corporeal Scores,” Humanities 12, no. 6 (2023): 138, https://doi.org/10.3390/h12060138.
[28] Naomi Martin, "Iconic Artworks: The Marina Abramović Performance ‘The House with the Ocean View,’" Artland Magazine, https://magazine.artland.com/iconic-artworks-the-marina-Abramović-performance-the-house-with-the-ocean-view/.
[29] James Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View’: The View of the House from Some Drops in the Ocean,” TDR 47, no. 3 (2003): 129–136, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1147052.
[30] James Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View,” 131.
[31] Abramović and Kaplan, Walk through Walls, 266.
[32] Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View,” 134.
[33] Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View,”134.
[34] Abramović and Kaplan,Walk through Walls, 265.
[35] Westcott, "Marina Abramović’s 'The House with the Ocean View,”136.
[36] Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View,” 135.
[37] Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View,” 136.
[38] Marina Abramović Institute. "Marina Abramović Longevity Method." Accessed December 5, 2024. https://Abramovićlongevity.com
[39] Marina Abramović Institute. "Marina Abramović Longevity Method.”
[40] R. M. Pillai, L. K. Fazio, and D. A. Effron, "Repeatedly Encountered Descriptions of Wrongdoing Seem More True but Less Unethical: Evidence in a Naturalistic Setting," Psychological Science 34, no. 8 (2023): 863–874, https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976231180578.
[41] R. M. Pillai, L. K. Fazio, and D. A. Effron, "Repeatedly Encountered Descriptions of Wrongdoing Seem More True but Less Unethical: Evidence in a Naturalistic Setting"
[42] Pillai,Fazio, and Effron, "Repeatedly Encountered Descriptions of Wrongdoing Seem More True but Less Unethical."
[43] Robert T. Muller and Nikita Baxi, “The More News Headlines We See, the Less We Care,” reviewed by Margaret Foley, Psychology Today, accessed December 8, 2024, https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/talking-about-trauma/202408/the-more-news-headlines-we-see-the-less-we-care.
[44] Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View,” 136.
[45] Westcott, “Marina Abramović’s ‘The House with the Ocean View.”
[46] Marina Abramović Institute. "Marina Abramović Longevity Method."
[47] Jonathon. James. O. Canete and Digvijay. Pandey, “The Paradox of Connectivity in the World Wide Web: An Analysis of Social Alienation in the Social Media and the Response of the Church to Genuine Dialogue,” Hu Arenas 6 (2023): 182–198, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-021-00192-4.
[48] Jonathon. James. O. Canete and Digvijay. Pandey, “The Paradox of Connectivity in the World Wide Web: An Analysis of Social Alienation in the Social Media and the Response of the Church to Genuine Dialogue.”