REST ENERGY

By ULAY & MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ (DE & RS)

1980

Rest Energy by Marina Abramović and Ulay was first performed at Rosc 1980 in Dublin. The version shown at INTIMACY was recorded at Filmstudio Amsterdam that same year. Over four minutes, the performance shows Ulay and Marina holding two sides of a large bow, with a steel arrow pointed directly at Marina’s heart; microphones on their clothing record the sound of their heartbeats and quickening breathing as the piece proceeds.

BIO

Marina Abramović is one of the world’s best-known performance artists. She was born in Serbia in 1946, and is currently based in New York. Her performance career began in the 1970s, and through her work she explores the spaces between artist and audience, and the limits of body and mind.

Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen) is a German artist based in based in Amsterdam and Ljubljana, Slovenia. He collaborated with Marina between 1976 and 1988, and since then has worked predominantly in photography and performance. His most recent works have examined water security and environmental issues.

Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives.