In 1974, Marina Abramović stood motionless for six hours and allowed a room full of strangers to do whatever they wanted to her.
On a table nearby were 72 objects, ranging from harmless items like flowers and perfume to knives, razor blades and a loaded gun.
At first, people treated her gently. But as the hours passed and no one faced any consequences, the crowd became increasingly aggressive. Her clothes were cut away, her skin was injured, and at one point, a participant held the loaded gun against her neck.
When the six hours were over, Abramović stopped being passive and began walking toward the audience. Most of them immediately avoided her or left the room.
The performance, known as Rhythm 0, became a disturbing example of how quickly people can abandon personal responsibility when they feel protected by a crowd.
ALT Black-and-white archival-style image of performance artist Marina Abramović standing still in a gallery beside a table of objects during her 1974 work Rhythm 0, while several people watch and gather around her. The scene has a tense, documentary feel and symbolizes the experiment in which the audience was allowed to interact with her freely for six hours.