Launching 7 July 2014, the piece documents a re-enactment of one of Abramović's seminal works, which was last performed in 1979 and addresses the parallels existing between the worlds of performance and sport.
Abramovic sees a broad affinity between the two; 'One similarity that I wanted to highlight in this video is the importance of group collaboration. When Ulay and I originally performed the piece Work Relation in 1978, the power of collective strength came through in the performance. I believe that it is important to learn from other disciplines in order to bring new life to whatever it is that you do.'
First performed in 1978, the original Work Relation was a groundbreaking form of performance art unveiled at the Theatre ann Rijn in Arnhem, The Netherlands. The original piece consisted of three sequences, each presenting a unique model for transporting stones from one end of a room to another. Using only buckets and human labour, the three models compare and contrast systems of cooperation and efficiency, with the participants’ bodies serving as the medium. This performance, along with the rest of Abramović’s work, reshapes the role of the audience, bringing us into the experience, highlighting both the limits of the human form and the possibilities of the mind.
