The artist invited the audience to use these objects on her in any way they chose, assuming full responsibility for their actions. Abramović's only instruction was that she would remain passive, leaving the audience to dictate the course of events. The goal was to test the limits of physical and mental endurance.
She placed 72 objects on a long table. They ranged from benign and pleasurable (a feather, perfume, a book, a rose, a glass of wine) to aggressive and lethal (a scalpel, scissors, nails, a chain, a gun loaded with a single bullet). marina abramovic experiment 1974
Abramović later reflected:
“In Rhythm 0 , I wanted to see what the public would do in a situation of absolute freedom. And I was terrified.” — Marina Abramović The artist invited the audience to use these
In the final hour, a man loaded the gun, placed it in her hand, and aimed it at her neck. A fight broke out among audience members as a protective group intervened to stop him. The Aftermath and Legacy She placed 72 objects on a long table
She also noted that no one — not a single person — had used the objects to protect her or clean her wounds. Only aggression and passivity were present; empathy was absent.