Artist Who Let People Do Anything To Her For Six Hours Shares Horrific Moment It Went Wrong

An artist who let spectators do anything to her for six hours has shared the horrifying moment when things went terribly wrong.

Honestly, the idea of letting random people have free rein over your body for so long sounds like a nightmare and a disaster waiting to happen.

But Marina Abramovic agreed to do it as part of a controversial performance art piece.

Those who wanted to participate had one simple task: there were 72 objects laid out in front of Abramovic, and they could 'use' them on her as they wished.

Marina Abramovic is an artist. Dave Benett /Getty Images for the Roundhouse

She was to remain still for six hours in what she called 'Rhythm 0'.

No matter what those spectators decided to do, I would take 'full responsibility', Abramovic said.

Among the 72 objects were things like flowers, perfume, and apples, as well as more sinister items like razors and knives.

Things started off pretty tame, but as you might expect, things took a dark turn for Abramovic about halfway through the experiment.

The artist found herself in a dire situation when a knife was placed between her legs, and parts of her clothing were ripped off.

Getty Images

Disturbing photos taken at the time show Abramovic crying. 

In a 2014 interview with the Guardian, Abramovic said she was 'ready to die'.

"I had a pistol with bullets in it, my dear. I was ready to die," she told the newspaper. 

She also mentioned that she felt 'lucky' to be alive to tell the story.

Reports say one person even cut Abramovic's neck to drink her blood, while others wiped away her tears and tried to stop the madness.

Abramovic performed her 'Rhythm 0' piece in 1974. Nick Gammon / AFP / Getty Images

The performance was reportedly cut short when Abramovic had a loaded gun to her head, prompting people to step in and end the chaos.

However, it’s still unclear whether it was their intervention that ended 'Rhythm 0' or if the six hours simply ran out.

Despite the trauma, Abramovic is not afraid to reflect on her experience.

"At the beginning, nothing really happened," she reflected in an interview on the Marina Abramovic Institute YouTube channel.

"The public were really nice. They gave me a rose, they would kiss me, look at me, and the public became more and more wild."

The Kit / Tristram Kenton

Talking about what she endured and how the performance finally ended, she added:

"I start moving. I start being myself [...] and, at that moment, everybody ran away. People could not actually confront with me as a person. 

"The experience I drew from this piece was that in your own performances you can go very far, but if you leave decisions to the public, you can be killed."