Self-portrait with me revisiting the performance “Freeing the body” (1975) by Marina Abramovic.
Problem set week #9: Remake it in a video or in a photo.
- Rule: 3 minutes
For this week’s project, I decided to remake the performance of Marina Abramovic entitled Freeing the body (1975). I photographed myself dancing to an African drumming piece which lasted 3 minutes. The original performance lasted 6h and the artist was naked except for a black scarf covering her face. Drummers were present in her performance. I saw the original footage in Berlin last July. It was filmed in black and white and was played on a TV.
When I presented the project today, I ended up having to justify to the class why I didn’t perform undressed. My project was about remaking the documentation and not about the performance itself. Perhaps, I wasn’t clear on my main intent.
In spite of all, besides going back in the darkroom, this assignment gave me the opportunity to experiment with body performance and endurance, something I’ve been fascinated with lately.