The Museum of Modern Love single work   drama  
Adaptation of The Museum of Modern Love Heather Rose , 2016 single work novel
Date: 2022
Issue Details: First known date: 2022... 2022 The Museum of Modern Love
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Adapted from the Stella Prize-winning novel by Heather Rose, The Museum of Modern Love follows New York-based film composer, Arky Levin, a man struggling to live and work in the face of incredible loss.

'By chance, Arky finds his way to MoMA and sees Marina Abramović in The Artist is Present—a marathon and now-legendary feat of performance art that saw Abramović sitting silent and completely still opposite thousands of museum visitors in the spring of 2010.

'Arky returns to MoMA again and again, and encounters other viewers also drawn to the exhibit, each with their own reasons for spending hours in the presence of Abramović. As the performance unfolds, so does Arky, and with his life coming back into focus, he finally understands what he must do to move forward.

'Set against the backdrop of one of the greatest art events in modern history, and blurring the lines between spectator and artist, this transfixing new work explores dying and living, courage and commitment—and meditates on the power of art to unite and connect us, even in an increasingly disconnected world.'

Source: Seymour Centre.

Production Details

  • Presented by the Seymour Centre and Sydney Festival as part of the Sydney Festival, 22 - 30 January 2022, Seymour Centre, Sydney (world premiere).

    Director: Tim Jones.

    Dramaturg and Assistant Director: Erin Taylor.

    Designer: Stephen Curtis.

    Lighting Designer: Alexander Berlage.

    Video and Sound Designer: David Bergman.

    Costume Designer: Veronique Benett.

    Cast: Tara Morice, Harriet Gordon-Anderson, Julian Garner, Justin Amankwah, Sophie Gregg, Glenn Hazeldine, Aileen Huynh, and Jennifer Rani.

    Ten people per performance were seated on the stage, becoming part of the crowd gathered to view the (in-work) Marina Abramović performance.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Theatre Review: The Museum of Modern Love, Seymour Centre Anna Westbrook , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , February 2022;

— Review of The Museum of Modern Love Tom Holloway , 2022 single work drama

'Playing with the entangled possibilities of art, life and love.'

The Museum of Modern Love Reminds Us to Engage with Art – and Each Other Gabriella Edelstein , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 28 January 2022;

— Review of The Museum of Modern Love Tom Holloway , 2022 single work drama

'When was the last time you looked at a stranger in the eyes? Really looked, for an uncomfortably long period of time, recognising something about them and yourself in the process? Probably not recently. In a pandemic world it is becoming harder – if not impossible – to connect with other people on such an intimate, vulnerable level.' (Introduction)

The Museum of Modern Love Reminds Us to Engage with Art – and Each Other Gabriella Edelstein , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 28 January 2022;

— Review of The Museum of Modern Love Tom Holloway , 2022 single work drama

'When was the last time you looked at a stranger in the eyes? Really looked, for an uncomfortably long period of time, recognising something about them and yourself in the process? Probably not recently. In a pandemic world it is becoming harder – if not impossible – to connect with other people on such an intimate, vulnerable level.' (Introduction)

Theatre Review: The Museum of Modern Love, Seymour Centre Anna Westbrook , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , February 2022;

— Review of The Museum of Modern Love Tom Holloway , 2022 single work drama

'Playing with the entangled possibilities of art, life and love.'

Last amended 30 Nov 2021 14:19:57
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