In 1974, Marina Abramović performed 'Rhythm 0', a performance art piece in which she remained motionless for six hours, allowing the audience to do anything to her without resistance.
On a table beside her were 72 objects. Some were harmless, like a rose and grapes. Others were dangerous, like scissors, a scalpel, and a loaded gun.
Here's what happened to her... (thread) 🧵
The audience was invited to use the objects however they wanted. Abramović gave simple instructions:
“I am the object.
You can do anything to me.
I take full responsibility.”
At first, the audience was gentle. They handed her flowers, kissed her cheek, or touched her lightly.
The atmosphere was calm.
But as time passed, the mood changed.
Someone moved her body and raised her hands in the air. Another participant used sharp blades to cut her clothes off.
She stood naked, exposed, and vulnerable...
The audience began to test the limits of her stillness.
By the third hour, the performance turned violent.
Abramović endured sexual assaults from those who wanted to harm her.
A blade was pressed to her skin. Her neck was cut so someone could suck her blood.
The atmosphere grew darker and more aggressive.
In the fourth hour, her life was threatened.
A loaded gun was picked up from the table. A participant pressed it to her head and wrapped her finger around the trigger.
The audience watched, some horrified, others curious to see what would happen next.
A fight broke out among the spectators.
Some tried to stop the violence and protect her. Others encouraged the harm, pushing the performance further.
The room became a battlefield of human nature—care against cruelty.
When the six hours ended, Abramović began to move.
The audience scattered, avoiding her gaze. They had treated her as an object for hours but could not face her as a person.
The performance was over, but the impact remained.
Abramović later said, “If you leave it up to the audience, they can kill you.”
The performance revealed the best and worst of human nature.
It tested the boundaries of morality and showed how far people might go when there are no consequences for their actions.
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