Based on Marina Abramovic’s Rhythm 10 performance at a festival in Edinburgh in 1973.

She lays twenty different knives and two cassette recorders on a white paper on the floor.

For my Video Selfie, I wanted to recreate the same setup. For obvious reasons, I replaced the knives with a pencil, a marker, and a penknife. I chose this 3 replacements as it symbolizes traditional art which I detest. These instruments serve as a painful reminder to me that I can’t excel in traditional art.

To further reenact the performance, I sat on the floor, facing down, and dressed in dark colours. Portraying myself as a vulnerable being which I believe Marina intended for.

I proceeded to record the sound on my phone which is placed on my side. Similarly, with the Rhythm 10 performance, I stabbed the areas between my outstretched fingers of my left hand using the instruments.

After completing the cycle, I repeated the process but this time, trying to be in sync with the sound recorded from the first cycle.

As much as I wished to completely recreate this performance, due to certain limitations, I had to change certain ideas. To recreate the idea of blood, I splattered some dark paint on the paper and my left hand.

“the mistakes of the past and those of the present are synchronous”

In some way, I am facing the consequences of the past where I used to reject traditional art. Thus resulting in me suffering now as I learn to adapt and figure out traditional art.