Marina Abramovic’s Experiment

Marina Abramovic is a Serbian artist known as the godmother of the art of performance. His experiments seek to explore the relationship between the artist and the audience, as well as the physical and mental limitations of the human being.

At the beginning of her career, Marina Abramovic considered that painting was not enough for her to express her feelings and chose to transform her body into a medium to express everything she felt and experienced inside. 

Abramovic’s most important artistic montages were the Rhythm (rhythm), carried out between 1973 and 1974. According to the artist, the words that characterized the performances were sound and time, consciousness and unconsciousness.

Rhythm 0 was the last performance performed in this series. This was the most important and experimental of all. He sought to test social limits and free will. Both the artist and the audience never imagined the results of this experiment. Let’s go deeper.

What did Marina Abramovic’s experiment consist of?

Abramovic’s experimental performance consisted of standing completely still for 6 hours. From 8 at night until 2 in the morning. The show could not be interrupted in any way.

Next to it was a table full of objects, 72 in total. Among them were a great variety of utensils to provide pleasure or to administer pain. For example, among the objects of pleasure, there were flowers, a rose, a soap, a feather, a hair clip and a handkerchief, among others. While among the objects of pain were a hammer, scissors, a knife, a whip and a pistol.

The only order to the spectators was to use the objects as they wanted with her. Marina Abramovic assumed full responsibility for everything that might happen to her in the performance of the performance.

The main purpose that I wanted to fulfill with this type of performance was to answer the question: What would the audience do in a situation where they are given total freedom to do whatever they want?

What were the results of Marina Abramovic’s experiment?

Marina Abramovic’s experience was quiet at first, but very intense at the end. During the first three hours no shock occurred. Rather, all the spectators were very respectful and friendly. One of them even gave him a kiss and another gave him one of the roses on the table.

In the last three hours, everything was progressively changing. Viewers became unpredictable and even violent. A man cut his neck. Another wrote end (end) on his forehead with lipstick. The clothes she was wearing were also cut off with scissors, among other types of harassment.

However, the limit came when one of the spectators loaded the pistol and pointed it at Marina. At that time, the public was divided into two groups: those who defended her and those who wanted to continue the abuse. This caused the museum guards to throw the weapon out the window, intervening in the development of the performance.

At the end of the six hours of the show, Marina Abramovic began to move and tried to approach her spectators,  but they all fled the room for fear of the artist’s reprisals. Marina went from being a passive subject to an active subject capable of responding to the vexations suffered.

Final thoughts on Marina Abramovic’s experiment

Somehow, this experiment revealed that hidden side of the human psyche when limits are non-existent at the social level. What happened leads us to reflect on freedom, responsibility, authority and respect. To what extent do we allow ourselves to be carried away by our personal wishes and interests? What can we do when we feel empowered and without any limitation?

Marina Abramovic’s experiment showed how easy it can be for some people to show a violent attitude towards someone who cannot defend themselves and is devoid of protection. The artist was humiliated and dehumanized by her viewers.

From the beginning of the performance she knew she was taking great risks. She even confessed that she was willing to die during the performance. At the end of the performance, he declared that the results were unexpected and that leaving control to the public can lead to experiences as dangerous as the possibility of dying.