“Preparing For War” 2008

I stood behind the audience. A video camera framing my face closely was projecting a live-feed image to a screen in front of the audience. I grossly applied paint to my face, distorting its shape as I did so. I carried an oxen-yolk to the front of the audience. The yolk had a rope tied to each end. I hung the rope around the back of my neck.

I spun around in circles, the centripetal force causing the yolk to “float” in the air. I flipped the yolk over again and again until it tightened around my neck, cutting off my circulation. I collapsed to the floor. I loosened the rope, repositioned myself, and continued. I did this repeatedly.