Because the sign said “I take full responsibility,” the audience interpreted this as a legal and ethical release. Each act of violence was small, incremental. Cutting a button off a shirt is not murder. Holding a rose is not violence. But over six hours, the accumulation of small cruelties produced a catastrophic whole. No single person felt responsible for the final state of her body.
In her later career, Abramović has admitted that Rhythm 0 left her psychologically shattered for years. She suffered from dissociation and a profound distrust of crowds. She has said, “If you leave the decision to the public, you will be killed.” This is not a boast; it is a lament. The performance scarred her because it proved that the social contract is only as strong as the threat of retaliation. rhythm 0
Abramović’s refusal to react—no flinch, no scream, no plea—created a terrifying cognitive dissonance. Humans rely on feedback loops to regulate aggression. When a child cries, we stop. When an animal whimpers, we pause. Abramović broke the loop. By remaining a “thing,” she inadvertently invited the audience to treat her as a thing. The tears in her eyes were real, but without a movement to escape, the audience rationalized: She must want this. Because the sign said “I take full responsibility,”