230 steps

August 13, 2012

duration: 18 hours 51 minutes

location: Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik, Berlin

230 Steps was a site-specific durational performance created for Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistick (ZK/U) in Berlin. In the performance, I walked on top of a single stretch of wall in one direction. The wall rests at the perimeter of the public park where ZK/U resides. Walking on top of it from one end to the other would normally take less than five minutes. I began the piece at 3am and performed without sitting down, speaking, or taking breaks. I did not bring food, water, or a timepiece with me. I also left several elements up to spectators. One placed wooden planks over a large gap in the wall to help me cross. Several retrieved clothing I had shed during the day and carried it to where I stood. Many stood with me.

In 2014, 230 Steps became part of The Marina Abramović Institute’s Immaterial Archive of Long Durational Work.