Charman's The Machine, about the 1997 chess match between Garry Kasparov and the IBM computer Deep Blue, will run Sept. 4-18. According to the Armory, "In 1997, Garry Kasparov, the world’s greatest chess player, arrived in New York City for the biggest match of his life. His opponent wasn't a fellow Grandmaster but a faceless super-computer, Deep Blue, built by tech-giant IBM. The man versus machine match was IBM’s bid to raise its profile and its stock price. An international celebrity and the undisputed master of his art, Kasparov came to America for freedom and glory. What he didn't expect to confront was the lifelong dedication of another man, Deep Blue's wunderkind inventor Doctor Hsu. Both geniuses, they staked their reputations on the tournament. What followed was one of the most compelling stories of our time. The production will use the unique scale and epic beauty of the Armory to explore this clash of breathtaking human genius with matchless computer power." A new visual-musical experience, created by Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack and documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis, will run Sept. 28-Oct. 4. The untitled piece also features the work of Punchdrunk director Barrett (Sleep No More), set designer Es Devlin, the innovative art and design practice UnitedVisualArtists and live performances by Massive Attack. It is billed as "a new kind of imaginative experience that mixes music, film, politics and breathtaking moments of illusion together in a hallucinatory ride through the dreams and the hidden realities of our strange, anxious age."
Director Robert Wilson will return with a new staging of The Life and Death of Marina Abramović, featuring Marina Abramović, musician Antony and Academy Award-nominated actor Willem Dafoe. It will run Dec. 12-21. According to the Armory, "Wilson's reimagining of performance artist Marina Abramović’s extraordinary life and work begins with her difficult childhood in former Yugoslavia, and chronicles her journey to the present day. Abramović, who plays herself as well as her imposing mother, is joined by world-renowned actor Willem Dafoe and singer Antony, performing original music and songs created for this 'quasi opera.'"
The above events will be staged within the expansive Wade Thompson Drill Hall. For ticket information and a complete list of the Armory's 2013 programming, visit armoryonpark.org. The Park Avenue Armory is located at 643 Park Avenue.
