When everyone is going fast, Tilda Swinton slows down. The Oscar-winning actress has come together with fashion curator Olivier Saillard to present her latest project: “Eternity Dress” – a very special new, ballet-like performance in Paris which follows the design of one dress, made directly on Tilda Swinton’s body, from the measuring up to the creation of the pattern, from the cut to the sewing together.

During their fifty-one-minute performance starring which was sponsored by Chloé and staged at the École des Beaux-Arts as part of the annual French Festival d’Automne, Saillard and Swinton explored the art of dressmaking. Instead of mass production, high speed and an ongoing pressure on everyone working in there, the renowned fashion director, author and poet as well as Tilda Swinton thereby pointed the way to an alternative way of thinking and acting in fashion. These are not equal circumstances but what is shared at the heart of them all is the act of designing and creating which is a skill that often gets lost in the muddle when we talk about fashion. Inspired by a 1950s method found in the museum’s collections, “Eternity Dress” reminiscences about the art of true creation, initiates an archeology of the craft and resonates with the history of fashion.

While IWISHUSUN aims to change our handling and understanding of fashion and to create a win-win-situation that gives you a great product and at the same time saves another person’s eyesight, Olivier Saillard takes up another unusual position by creating a contemplative moment within the fast pace of fashion today. Learn more about the performance “Eternity Dress” here.

Photo: Olivier Saillard/ Tilda Swinton – Eternity Dress. © Vincent Lappartient.

Performance artist Marina Abramovic has impressed us with her projects for more than 40 years, first of all with her most recent performance, “The Artist Is Present” (2010), which showed her sitting motionless in MoMA’s atrium for three months, offering her gaze to anyone willing to sit across from her. Based on this intensive experience Abramaovic not 0nly felt that this has changed herself but also, this let her realise how important her visitors’ participation and involvement is. As a result she founded MAI (Marina Abramovic Institute) which is “dedicated to the presentation and preservation of long durational work, including that of performance art, dance, theater, film, music, opera, and other forms that may develop in the future. MAI will foster collaboration between art, science, technology, and spirituality, bringing these fields into conversation with long durational work. MAI will provide an educational space to host workshops, lectures, residencies, and research.” To support the artist’s ambitions and raise funds for her project, Marina Abramovic Institute has launched a Kickstarter campaign.

In the video below Marina Abramovic explains her project’s vision and why she needs your help:

If you contribute to this Kickstarter campaign, your money will fund “will cover phase one of MAI’s development: the design process. Given that MAI is the first of its kind, its early design phase demands an innovative approach. Your pledge will contribute to early MAI programming, office operations, and schematic designs of architectural elements, including building structure, lighting, acoustics, and AV. Leading this process are world-renowned architects Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), whose unique vision will help MAI to create new ways for audiences and performers to interact.” The project will only be funded if at least $600,000 is pledged by 25 August 2013.

Learn more about the Kickstarter campaign here.

Moreover, Marina Abramovic will be doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) today at 12:30pm EST (18:30 CET). At that time the link to the AMA will be provided on Facebook, so save your questions. 

Images via Facebook.

This scenes recalls a performance which is a few month ago: the grande dame of 1970s performance art, Marina Abramović, spent three months in silent vigil at New York’s Museum of Modern Art alongside a major new retrospective of her work (“The Artist is precent“, March 14–May 31, 2013). Yesterday we saw another performance which involved viewer participation too. The protagonist: Jay-Z. The location: Pace Gallery in New York.

Similarly, Jay-Z, who just relased his new LP “Magna Carta … Holy Grail”, invaded the exhibition space and performed his song “Picasso Baby” for six straight hours – a performance that will be compiled into a music video. Guests included Marina Abramović herself, among other celebrities and local New Yorkers. See Jay-Z and Marina Abramović on stage:

videos via Cedar Pasori.