Tehching Hsieh – One Year Performance 1978–1979
| Author | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Void |
| ISBN | 9786185479411 |
| Idea Code | |
| Status | not yet published |
On 30 September 1978, Tehching Hsieh began the first in a series of extraordinary One Year Performances that would make him a regular name in the New York art scene. He sealed himself in a purpose-built cage in his studio and remained there in solitary confinement without any communication for 365 days. His friend, Cheng Wei Kuong, helped facilitate the work by taking care of his food, clothing and refuse, and by taking the daily portraits that make up this book. This work, nicknamed ‘Cage Piece’, was unprecedented in its use of physical difficulty over extreme durations. As well as being in solitary confinement, Hsieh’s self-imposed list of rules forbade him from reading, writing, listening to the radio or watching television. Attorney Robert Projansky provided a witness statement at the end of the year attesting that Hsieh had remained in the locked cage for the full duration. Daily portraits taken by Cheng Wei Kuong provide further evidence of his presence in front of the camera each day. Hsieh shaved his head at the start of the performance and allowed his hair to grow out naturally, so the daily portraits also reveal the passing of time.
| 736 p, 17 x 24 cm, hb, English |
Void
