Pussy Riot, Skateboarding and Kayne West: A Peek at the 23rd Annual Watermill Center Summer Benefit & Auction
On July 30, the utmost prestigious artistic gathering of the sunny season marked its 23rd edition: The Annual Watermill Center Summer Benefit & Auction, brought together a wide nomenclature of artistic disciplines for a mid-summer fête.
The Watermill Center was founded in 1992 by theater and visual artist Robert Wilson on the site of a former Western Union communication research facility near Southampton. The venue fosters research in the arts of the stage, providing young and emerging artists with a unique environment for creation and exploration in theater and all its related art forms. The mission is to develop a strong global network, transcending age, experience, social, religious and cultural backgrounds.
The summer benefit is one of the Hamptons’ most highly anticipated philanthropy events and largest fundraisers of the year. This year’s event, titled FADA House of Madness —referencing Le Corbusier’s famous “La Maison du Fada” or “The Nutter’s House”—featured a cocktail hour from 6 to 8 p.m. followed by dinner, live and silent auctions and an after party from 10 p.m. to midnight.
This year, the Center honored Madame Giancarla Berti for her unparalleled support of Water Mill as a “laboratory for the arts.” and marked the first time collaboration of the Watermill Center and The Bruce High Quality Foundation (BHQF), as they presented As We Lay Dying, which featured a variety of works and performances spread throughout the Center’s grounds.
The entrance to the Watermill was like stepping in an enchanting fairytale. Guests traversed a bamboo pergola, whilst observing the performances that represented “a reflection on coming to terms with the contemporary world through personal, political and aesthetic perspectives.”
This was epitomized by an installation of the Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot, featuring a 1920s electric chair atop a wooden base with a banner overhead that reads Make America Great Again.
Sound installations by English singer and visual artist Anohni were adapted from her latest recordings and played about the grounds as well. Personally invited by the center’s founder and artistic director Robert Wilson, her music complemented the visual performances and set the tone for the night.
During the cocktail hour, guests were able to further explore the grounds and experience avant-garde creations, from established artists taking part at the center’s International Summer Program. Visitors could take part in the silent auction, by placing bids on sheets available next to the art. Amongst the featured artists were Gregory De La Haba, Noah Becker, Nicole Nadeau and Kevin McHugh.
Participants from over twenty-five countries, from the world of theater, art, fashion, design, music, and visual arts proved to be extraordinary in joining forces, to bring to life these mesmerizing installations and performances, throughout the eight-and-a-half acre grounds. More than 125 international esteemed and emerging artists donated pieces for the auction. And the live auction, led by famous auctioneer Simon de Pury, included pieces of artists of the calibre of Francesco Clemente, Peter Lindbergh, Max Gimblett and Mr. Wilson.
During the dinner provided at the event, guests could observe the skateboard performance by Shaun Gladwell, adapted from his famed film Skateboarders vs. Minimalism, which premiered at the Sydney Festival in January 2016. But what should have come as icing on the cake was cancelled: the collaborative art installation between Mr. Wilson and world-famous rapper Kanye West. The announcement that Kanye West would be performing at the annual Watermill Center’s summer benefit came as a surprise to many East Enders. And it was more surprising when the whole thing was called off. However, it seems like the Wilson-West collaboration is merely postponed to next year.
Despite the singultus of the latter part of the evening, the purpose of the benefit was accomplished: raise funds to support the center’s year-round artist residency and education programs that allow artists to explore their creativity and produce new works.
