The Cube
Performance Work (1995-97)

the Cube	Introduction
Assault	Consent

The Cube performance works were conceived in 1994 and 95 while attending Alfred University and continued thereafter with a yearlong performance schedule at a night club in Rochester, NY.

The Cube

The Cube is a construct of 12 steel pipes each measuring 8ft in length and 2-in. in diameter and joined together by 16 perpendicular clamps. The ends of the pipes define an outside perimeter, while the intersecting points circumscribe an inner cube. The cube works in two ways, one is as a transcriber of cubic space and boundaries, and the other is as a staging structure. It has been described as a portable torture chamber as the performance work itself was based in Sadomasochism and Bondage.

Introduction

Introduction was the first performance piece involving the cube. I was stripped of all clothes, blindfolded, and gagged. My legs straddled the two lower bars and tied there. My feet touched the ground. My arms were tied behind my back and the rope was run up over a pulley and anchored back down on the lower bar. The ropes held me forcibly in an upright position. Every twenty minutes the rope was unleashed from the lower bar so that I might bend over, letting the blood redistribute. A chair and coffee were provided for the viewers. There was a blackboard mounted on the wall behind the cube with "Hello My Name Is Mark Snyder" written on it. The event occurred twice, once in the afternoon then again that evening, each show lasting two hours.

Assault

Assault was the next performance. The Cube was brought, unannounced, into a foyer at Alfred University that serves as a coffee stand and lounge. This location also serves as junction point of several main hallways. 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 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 held for one hour, I was then released. The cube was disassembled.

Consent

Consent was set in a closed and controlled room, allowing only one viewer in at a time un-chaperoned. Before entering the viewer was shown a consent form stating what they would be seeing and that by entering they were giving their consent. Prior to anyone's admittance I undressed, was bound and suspended in a dead-man's float type pose. I had no physical contact with the ground or the structure. A spotter would stop the procession of viewers every 15 minutes to come in and make sure everything was all right. After 1 hour and 45 min the performance was called to a temporary halt due to the pain. After another attempt the performance was called short of its scheduled time due to the physical and mental stress.

Confrontation

Confrontation was the final performance in Alfred. In this piece I was bound sitting in a chair with a hood over my head. This chair was inside the inner cube. Another chair was placed in the space between the outer perimeter and the inner cube facing the bound subject, so to sit in the chair the viewer would be forced to cross over one of the perceived barriers. Coffee was again provided.

The Fetish Ball

The Fetish Ball was a series of work performed once a month for a year in a Rochester, NY nightclub. The nightclub held a Fetish Ball once a month and I was asked to create a series of performances for the night involving the cube. I was afforded the opportunity to work with a number of people I had not worked with before and this brought new insights and innovations into the works.