Originally part of the installation 'Spirit House' (Abramovic 1997), 'Dozing Consciousness' is currently part of Abramovic's 'Video Portrait Gallery'. The single-channel work shows the face of artist buried in quartz crystals, accompanied by the sound of heavy breathing. With every breath Abramovic takes, the heap of crystals is moving a little bit, as, extremely slowly, parts of her face are uncovered. Although, on the level of image and sound, 'Dozing Consciousness' refers back to earlier works that put the artist's physical stamina to a test, this work seems less harmful in its implications: not ice covers the artist's body, but quartz crystals. Still, the video gives an impression of a heavy weight or burden resting on the artist's face, the heavy breat…ing indicating that the performed action is probably less risk-free than one might initially think. The video is also part of the 16-channel installation 'Video Portrait Gallery' (Abramovic 1975-2002). Read more...