Cleaning the Mirror I (Head)

Originally the first in a series of three performances, 'Cleaning the Mirror I' has been transformed into a five-channel video installation. In the performance, Abramovic sits with a skeleton on her lap, next to her a bucket with soapy water. With her right hand, she vigorously brushes the different parts of the skeleton. In the installation, each of the five channels is dedicated to one of the skeleton's body parts: the feet, the hands, the ribs, the pelvis and the head. In each of the videos, one can see a component of the carcass together with a part of Abramovic's own body, mostly her hands. There is no separate soundtrack, the sounds of soap and water, scrubbing and breathing are recorded directly with the images, which has as an effect that they start … Read more...