Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0 is one of the most famous and harrowing works in the history of performance art. Conducted at the Galleria Studio Morra in Naples in 1974, the piece serves as a profound social experiment on human behavior, power, and the limits of the body. The Premise: "I Am the Object" In this six-hour endurance piece, Abramović stood motionless and passive, inviting the audience to interact with her using any of 72 objects laid out on a table. The items were divided into categories of pleasure and pain, including: Harmless objects: A rose, a feather, honey, grapes, bread, and wine. Dangerous objects: Scissors, a scalpel, a whip, an axe, and a loaded gun with a single bullet. Abramović placed a sign near the table stating: "Instructions: 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." . Escalation of Violence A table. 72 objects. A crowd free to do anything. And Marina Abramović, ready to endure it all. In 1974, the artist presented Rhythm 0
Paper Title Suggestion “The Body as Object: Audience, Agency, and Violence in Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0 ”
1. Introduction
Thesis example: Rhythm 0 (1974) tests the limits of the artist’s body as an object, revealing how power, anonymity, and social permission can escalate ordinary behavior into extreme violence. The video documentation transforms a live performance into an enduring ethical case study on human nature. Context: marina abramovic rhythm o video
Part of Abramović’s early “Rhythm” series exploring duration, consciousness, and physical limits. Performed at Studio Morra, Naples. 72 objects on a table (feather, rose, scalpel, gun with one bullet). Instruction: “I am the object. You can use any object on me as you wish.” Duration: 6 hours.
2. The Performance – Key Moments (from video documentation)
First hour: Gentle interactions (rose, kiss, smile). Middle hours: Clothes cut, skin cut with razor, rose thorns stuck into her abdomen. Final hours: Loaded gun held to her head by a participant; others stop him. End: Abramović walks toward participants; they flee. Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0 is one of the
Note on the video: The existing video is black-and-white, often grainy, with no sound. It focuses on medium shots of the table and close-ups of Abramović’s face and wounds.
3. Analytical Framework A. The Body as Medium
Abramović cedes control, becoming a “living prop.” Reference: The Artist is Present (2010) as later inversion (active eye contact). The items were divided into categories of pleasure
B. The Psychology of the Crowd
Deindividuation: Anonymity + permission → cruelty. Escalation effect: Small transgressions normalize larger ones. Compare to Milgram (obedience) and Zimbardo (Stanford prison experiment).