Dehumanization

Marina Abramovic "Rhythm 0" 1974

Abramovic is a well known artist for her performance pieces, this piece captured my eye at first glance. It was primarily used as a trust excerise, she placed 72 objects infront of her that could be used in various ways and did not move her body for a total of 6 hours. At first the viewers used the props in peaceful and harmless ways but that quickly changed as time went on. She stated that "...I felt really violated: they cut my clothes, stuck rose thorns in my stomach, one aimed thegun at my head, and another took it away." An aggressive atmosphere was created but as soon as the 6 hours were up and she moved toward the public they fled from actual comfrontation.

This experiment displayed a horrid trait humanity has adapted. It proves how quickly and easily someone can dehumanize or harm someone else who cannot fight back.