Combining digital imagery with the real world, the HoloLens 2 uses mixed reality to allow users to keep their surroundings in view whilst experiencing the images produced by the headset. The advert, which Microsoft did not deny had been deleted, featured Abramović discussing her new work in the mixed reality medium — The Life — as well as a demonstration of the piece and an interview with a representative from Christie’s auction house (who have plans to sell The Life for over $775,000 in October). When users view the piece through the headset, they see Abramović slowly walking around in the red dress from her acclaimed 2010 performance The Artist is Present, with digital effects causing her image to blink. “I believe that art of the future is art without objects. This is just pure transmission of energy between the viewer and the artist,” Abramović says in the ad.
The Life — Marina Abramovic © Marina Abramovic / Chrsitie’s
So why was the video taken down? Of the 24,000 ‘dislikes’ on the video before it was deleted, many flooded in following a post on far-right blogger Alex Jones’ Infowars, which tries to tie the video to allegations of Satanism that arose from right-wing internet users in 2016, despite the piece making no direct reference to the cult. Allegations arose surrounding the 2016 U.S. election, largely based on a leaked email from Abramović to Tony Podesta (art collector and brother of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta), inviting him to a performance of her 1997 work Spirit Cooking, which features paintings made from pigs’ blood. Reacting to the book of recipes containing instructions of violence to accompany the piece, right-wing outlet claimed that the work implicated the artist and the Podestas in a sex cult.
Abramović vehemently denied the Satanism allegations in 2016, telling ARTnews, “Anybody who wants can read my memoirs and find out that [my work] is far away from Satanism”.
