Disturbing items spectators were allowed to use on artist during horrifying experiment
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images/YouTube/Marina Abramović Institute
Warning: This article contains graphic content which some readers may find distressing.
An artist who was ‘ready to die’ gave the public access to 72 disturbing items during a chilling social experiment.
Performance artist Marina Abramović planned to conduct a social experiment in 1974, which allowed spectators to do ‘whatever they wanted’ to her without any repercussions for their actions.
However, she didn’t plan to endure such a harrowing ordeal.
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She hoped that investigating behaviour and mentality would restore faith in humanity, but what happened next - no one could predict.
She stood still for six hours, with 72 objects on offer for crowds to use as they wished - some of which were extremely alarming.
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In a note explaining the performance, she said: “There are 72 objects on the table that one can use on me as desired.
“I am the object.
“During this period I take full responsibility."
There were nicer items on the table, which I’m sure she hoped would be used, but it didn’t seem to be the outcome.
Whilst there is an image of the table with the items, it is hard to make out exactly what each one is.
However, amongst the plethora of items up for grabs were a rose, feather, perfume, honey, bread, grapes, wine, scissors, a scalpel, nails, a metal bar, a gun and a bullet.
Spectators were hesitant to begin with, but it didn’t take long for them to take advantage of the never-done-before experiment.
Art critic Thomas McEvilley, who was present the entire time, said that the ordeal ‘began tamely’, but that behaviour started to get dark after three hours.
He said: “Her throat was slashed so someone could suck her blood.
“Various minor sexual assaults were carried out on her body.
“She was so committed to the piece that she would not have resisted rape or murder.”
Throughout the entire ordeal, however, Marina remained straight-faced and refused to give in to her fear.
Other items on the table included a saw, hammer, chains, an axe, rope, a bottle, various blades, a feather boa and a torch.
Speaking in a video shared on the Marina Abramović Institute YouTube channel in 2016, she recalled: “The experience I drew from this piece was that in your own performances you can go very far, but if you leave decisions to the public, you can be killed.”