Last weekend I finally got around to watching the wonderful HBO documentary “Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present”. I was pleased to see cameos by two residences designed by Dennis Wedlick Architect—Abramovic’s star-shaped country house and her sleek Manhattan loft apartment. (Wedlick originally designed the star house for another client, and then updated it when Abramovic bought it a few years back. Check out our profile of his firm.)
The movie focuses on the owner and her groundbreaking performance art rather than her homes. But to watch Abramovic bustling around the loft or cooking up a big meal in the country house’s kitchen is to see a space that seems to truly serve the needs of its inhabitant. These homes give the impression of being fully lived-in and loved, and to an architectural observer that’s a beautiful thing to see. In its own way, “The Artist is Present” conveys the value of good residential design more effectively than many films specifically devoted to architecture.