In June 2021, WeTransfer launched the first ever digitisation of ‘The Abramovic Method’: a series of mindfulness exercises cultivated over years of Marina Abramovic’s performance art research. Through a series of new video material commissioned by WePresent, WeTransfer’s digital arts platform, the artist shares her wisdom on cultivating inner strength, concentration and endurance. Like a masterclass, WeTransfer turned this material into an interactive online experience inspired by paired - back scientific drawings and blueprints, which users could stop and start at their own pace. It was shared with WeTransfer’s 87 million monthly active users in 190 countries during the pandemic when mental health rose up the public agenda. It has been viewed over 130 million times. The digitisation of ‘The Abramovic Method’ by WeTransfer, the first of its kind, brought timely, free access to Abramovic’s practice as a performance artist, while inspiring users to practice mindfulness while using WeTransfer.

‘The Abramovic Method’ was a collaboration between performance artist Marina Abramovic and tech and media platform WeTransfer. It launched on 15 June 2021 after 6 months from concept to delivery, and was shared on wetransfer.com to the platform’s 87 million monthly active users in 190 countries for free over two months. It remains available to access on a dedicated microsite in perpetuity and has been viewed over 130 million times.

New video material was commissioned of Abramovic to use specially for this experience. The brief was to record herself taking viewers through each exercise like in a masterclass. WeTransfer turned this material into an online interactive experience controlled by a custom video player where users could stop and start at their own pace. They used a design system inspired by paired - back scientific drawings and blueprints, with subtitles to guide users as if they were reading an instruction manual.

While this collaboration was about giving a platform to Abramovic when she was unable to perform to live audiences during a health crisis, it also enabled WeTransfer to communicate its values as a brand when its community were working remotely from home: the platform exists to enable great ideas and that creativity can change the world for the better.

‘The Abramovic Method’ brings the artist’s signature techniques for developing inner strength to new audiences, a particularly poignant and timely exercise as the world prioritizes mental health during the pandemic.

By facilitating new, intimate access to the world’s most prolific performance artist, it explores new approaches for digitizing what would otherwise only be an exclusive, in-person experience. With live experiences mostly on hiatus in 2021 due to health and safety concerns and companies exploring new avenues for bringing culture online, the ‘Method’ transformed how people access, experience, and think about art.