|
Assault
Assault was the second performance involving the cube. It took place Wednesday, March 29, 1995, from 9:00PM - 12:00AM, in Harder Hall on the Alfred University, in the student run Coffee Shop known as Mocha Joka. This location also serves as junction point of several main hallways at the school
The event was designed to raise the issues and questions of consent, self-censorship and public censorship.
At 9:00PM the pipes of the cube and various equipment were brought, unannounced, into the coffee shop. As the cube was being assembled some people volunteered their services to help. Many just watched from their chairs, others just passed through on their way to other things.
At 10:00PM the cube was erected, I undressed and was bound and hooded. I was placed into the frame, freestanding between the bars and fettered there. The binding position chosen for this event is known as a type of crucifixion for its suffocation properties. Having the arms bound above the head causes the diaphragm to become constricted, making breathing difficult and a conscious effort. This position was to be held for one hour.
People in the near vicinity became quiet and conversations dropped to whispers. Mocha Joka stopped serving coffee, but as this is a student run shop with no doors no one was asked to leave.
A security guard walked past. People continued to pass through the hallway areas that intersect at this point. Reaction varied: some stayed and viewed the work, some talked, some became embarrassed, some averted their eyes, others gathered out of range and sent a single person down the hall to investigate the events, some interacted with the environment.
At 11:00PM I was untied and redressed. The cube and equipment where disassembled and taken away.
By 12:00PM the event was completed and a security guard was seen walking past where the event had taken place.
Crucifixion poses are physically laboring and need to be monitored carefully. After a short time the pose requires the subject to actually concentrate on breathing. The muscles become tired and strained and breathing becomes labored. There is also sometimes an adrenaline push that can make the subject think they can keep going beyond reasonable levels.
Being hooded and not having direct physical connection to the cube left me feeling somewhat disoriented and confused at times, mixed with high amounts of adrenaline from the pose itself.
