Watermill Center's 23rd Summer Benefit Brings 'House of Madness' To Hamptons

The oppressive temperature, spits of rain, and gray clouds covering the sky may not have made for the most comfortable conditions for the 23rd annual Watermill Center Summer Benefit & Auction on Saturday night, but walking through the performances and art installations spread throughout the center’s facility, it actually added to the atmosphere of the night.

The smoke from the tiki torches burning along the walkways adding ambiance, the dark clouds adding to the grimace of various pieces, and even the center’s servers dressed in black and serving black margaritas all complemented the theme of the night’s show: “Fada: House of Madness.”

The benefit featured art installations and performances by artists participating in Watermill’s International Summer Program, including Jacques Reynaud, Marie De Testa, John Margaritis, and G.T. Pellizzi. One of the main pieces that showed up in different formats around Watermill was the Bruce High Quality Foundation’s “As We Lay Dying,” a series of performance pieces and spoken-word recitations made at various points on the center’s grounds. Other pieces ranged from Jacques Reynaud’s “Angels of the Apocalypse,” which featured human models posed as statues and dressed as warrior angels, to John Margaritis’s “One Ton Tank,” which featured a man submerged and posed in a large tank of water.

“This is one of the few places—not only in the Hamptons but possibly in the world—where art, fashion, design, society and theater overlap,” said Kevin Berlin, a Southampton artist sporting his own custom-made top hat and scarf. “Normally, people involved in each of these groups live separate lives. The Watermill Center is entirely unique for bringing these groups together.”

Mr. Berlin was posing next to “Make America Great Again,” a piece designed by Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot that featured an electric chair set in front of a white wall with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign slogan in red lettering. A walk through the center’s forest area invited looks at Nikita Shokhov’s “Ice,” a series of videos displayed on several monitors placed on the ground, along with a line of gold-painted trees from Marie De Testa’s “Gold” display. Installations stood out in their own different ways, sometimes clashing with each other and sometimes set up as a linear narrative.

“I like it. I think it adds to the experience by seeing so many different things together,” said Christina Stahr, a Manhattan resident attending the benefit for the first time.

“It’s fascinating, like a peek into another world,” said Martin Adolfsson of Southampton, taking in the entire experience at the center of the forest area.

“It feels like a parallel universe, but very good. Seeing all of this and getting to participate in it, it makes me feel young again,” said Julia Perissinoto of Southampton.

One of the more popular pieces at the center was a widespread chalkboard that was part of the “As We Lay Dying: Lecture Notes” from the Bruce High Quality Foundation. Performers from the Foundation and attendees of the benefit were allowed to write on the board. Kirsty McCallion of New York City drew a large heart with wings and a dagger through it. Why?

“It just felt right,” she said.

Once attendees were out of the woods, they entered the large white tent in the courtyard of the center, where cocktails were served and a silent auction took place. Paintings and pieces by the likes of Stephen Laub, Robert Flynt, Sally Egbert and Meghan Boody were on display and being auctioned for thousands of dollars apiece. At the center of the tent was another section of the BHQF’s “As We Lay Dying” piece called “Marat,” where a performer lying in a rowboat full of bubbling water recited the story of a broken love affair.

One of the evening’s biggest highlights was originally intended to be the presence of Grammy-winning rapper/producer/fashion designer Kanye West. Mr. West canceled his appearance the day before the benefit—the center said his appearance, which was going to include an art installation he worked on with Watermill Center founder Robert Wilson, was too last minute. Rapper Ja Rule made for a surprise substitution for Mr. West later on that night. This came to the dismay of Evan Bieder, sporting a black tank top that read “Kanye XX XX,” in a reference to Mr. West’s presidential hopes for the next election.

“I came from Gaston, North Carolina, to see Kanye,” Mr. Bieder said. “But I’m here so I thought I’d check everything else out.”

Outside the tent were more art installations, including a giant, black inflatable fighter jet standing nose down to the ground as part of the “As We Lay Dying” piece called “… then finally-finally-a scream like a fighter jet.” Surrounding the outer courtyard was Marianna Kavallieratos’s “Far West,” featuring four stands with performers dressed in red and black jumpsuits, posing still with items painted black including an ax, binoculars, and a machete.

“We started training about a week ago,” said Sichong Xie, one of the performers in “Far West.” “We wanted to reciprocate what would happen in the event of a plane crash like this.”

The night went on with attendees from around the world dressed to the nines in designer dresses and sharp suits. But the night also welcomed unique styles, with one example coming from Brian Ramaekers, co-owner of Kinnaman & Ramaekers antique store in Bridgehampton. His outfit was an all white jumpsuit brandished with small medals and a red sash that read “Associate-C.” Mr. Ramaekers said it was worn by the captain of the Dame Pattie, the Australian 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America’s Cup challenge in 1967. This being his 15th time attending the summer benefit, Mr. Ramaekers took note of the massive turnout for this year’s show.

“There are a lot of people here that don’t usually come to these events. Whenever new people come, they love it and enjoy the whole new experience.”