Someone said about ballet that the body suffers and the face smiles. But who are they suffering for? In the traditional arts it’s all about entertaining an audience. In pre-recorded media the reaction of the audience doesn’t change the story. In theatre this is more of a grey area. But the audience is always in focus. Are they happy, are they laughing, are they crying. In participatory art there is a co-creation and experience shared between the audience and performer.
When I teach, I almost always talk about the third role involved aside from the dominant and the submissive, ie. the witness. It’s the witness’ gaze which makes the experience alive and real for them. We can say that in a theatre, it’s the audience reaction which brings a play to life, however the central difference here is that in sadomasochistic play, the most important element is the feelings of the players, not the reactions of the audience. This is an exquisitely unique experience in our lives, to be seen and held by those who care about or are interested in our genuine feelings.
The question of what one can sacrifice for the arts was a recurring one at my theatre school, to instil the predetermined feeling in the audience. So there is no surprise to me that it is in the arts where young fragile souls are taught to overstep their boundaries for the director’s artistic vision. Still these contradictions of sacrificing for another are what fuels the play and makes it come alive.
The sadomasochistic relationship is fleeting and ever-changing, or at least, it’s best when I allow it to be. The witness will act as a frame for that chaos. It doesn’t matter if the witness is an actual person. It can also be the dominant shifting perspective by stepping away, taking up a camera or drinking a beer. Or the submissive going inwards, witnessing themselves. A mirror can help with this. Whatever way is chosen, it is essential to make enough space for the witness. Being seen during such moments of vulnerability is to invite someone into our inner, intimate world. To share our shame and our horniness. Admitting openly to our deviant desires in a raw and unfiltered way. What the witness sees is the reflection of the participants – if they are brave enough to show their true selves.
“The eyes are the mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden; and like a mirror, they also reflect the person looking into them.”
Paulo Coelho
Breaking The Agreement With The Witness
What I love even more, be it in photographs, performances or rituals, is when I as a witness am seen in return. Artist Marina Abramovic’s performance titled ‘Rhythm 0’ held in Naples for one night in 1974 asks the question: can there be an innocent bystander? When she locks herself in a room for six hours with the audience and seventy-two objects, including a gun, flowers and a whip. The only information given was.
Instructions
There are 72 objects on the table that one can use on me as desired.
Performance
I am the object.
During this period, I take full responsibility.
In her performance, she gave space to her audience, which turned them into subjects expressing themselves using her as the object. She devoted herself to her audience in terms of sadomasochistic play. Did they hold space for her self-sacrifice in return, or did the audience express their selfish desires? I don’t think that part of history will ever be known. Afterwards, when Abramovic returned from her objectified state, the audience apparently ran away in fear. At this moment, Abramovic in an instant pulled the rug out from under them by suddenly returning a witnessing gaze back onto the audience. Their shameful deeds were exposed in the spotlight of her gaze.
