Buried Alive (performance) explained

Buried Alive

Buried Alive is an art and lecture performance series by art-tech group monochrom. The basic concept is to offer willing participants the opportunity of being buried alive in a real coffin underground for fifteen to twenty minutes. As a framework program, monochrom offers lectures about the history of the science of determining death and the medical cultural history of premature burial. To date, they have buried around 600 people. The series has created controversy[1] [2] in some places it has been staged.

monochrom's founder and conceptualist Johannes Grenzfurthner states that the performance series wants to start a conversation about death, culture, medical and scientific myths and mass media.[3] Grenzfurthner says that one of the inspirations for the performance series was the wish to deal with his claustrophobic tendencies.[4]

Over the years the performance has attracted a lot of mainstream media coverage like the popular German TV show Joko gegen Klaas[5] on Pro7 and the Austrian TV series Herr Ostrowski sucht das Glück[6] [7] on ORF.

Experience the Experience of Being Buried Alive

The first public burials were organized in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as part of a performance tour. People in Los Angeles (at Machine Project),[8] San Francisco,[9] Vancouver[10] [11] and Toronto[12] [13] had the opportunity to be buried alive in a real coffin for fifteen minutes. No cell phones, lamps or other devices were allowed inside the coffin. Participants had to sign a damage waiver.monochrom provided a 45 minute lecture about the history of premature burial and offered a set of different funeral marches and songs about death as "Death Jockeys".

Six Feet Under Club

In 2010, monochrom updated the original concept and created the "Six Feet Under Club".[14] [15] [16] Couples could volunteer to be buried together in a casket beneath the ground. In a press release they explained that the space they occupy is "extremely private and intimate". The coffin "is a reminder of the social norm of exclusive pair bonding 'till death do us part'." However, this intimate scene was corrupted by the presence of a night vision webcam which projects the scene on to an outside wall. The scenario kept the intimacy of a sexual moment intact while moving the private act into public space. monochrom's performance can be seen as an absurd parody of pornographic cinema or an examination of the high value placed on sexual privacy.[17] [18]

The performance was repeated at the Viennese club Schwelle 7 in 2013 and 2014.[19] [20]

Buried Alive (installation)

Since 2011 monochrom offers a constant burial site at VSL Lindabrunn in Lower Austria.[21] [22] [23]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/02/06/alarm_raised_over_burial_performance.html Toronto Star: "Alarm raised over burial performance"
  2. http://www.bild.de/wa/ll/bild-de/unangemeldet-42925516.bild.html Bild.de: "Im TV-Duell gegen Klaas: Joko lässt sich lebendig begraben", 5 January 2014
  3. http://monochrom.at/experiences/alive.htm monochrom's "Experience the Experience of Being Buried Alive"
  4. https://www.zebrabutter.net/der-film-glossary-of-broken-dreams-oder-im-schlachthaus-zum-goldenen-kalb.html Zebrabutter: "Der Film Glossary of Broken Dreams oder: Im Schlachthaus Zum Goldenen Kalb"; April 25, 2018
  5. http://www.prosieben.at/tv/joko-gegen-klaas/videos/15-joko-in-oesterreich-jokos-begraebnis-clip Pro7's Joko gegen Klaas – Das Duell um die Welt: "Joko in Österreich: Jokos Begräbnis"
  6. http://www.fernsehserien.de/herr-ostrowski-sucht-das-glueck/folgen/in-der-einsamkeit-797676 Herr Ostrowski sucht das Glück: "In der Einsamkeit"
  7. Web site: Freizeit: "Michael Ostrowski über das Glück", April 2014 . 2016-06-15 . 2016-05-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160511084731/http://freizeit.at/0414/michael-ostrowski-ueber-das-glueck/47.734.967 . dead .
  8. Web site: Downtown LA: "Goodbye Maestro, and Are You Experienced?", 20 June 2005 . 15 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171230195758/http://www.monochrom.at/experiences/alive/downtown_news_6_20_05.jpg . 30 December 2017 . dead .
  9. http://boingboing.net/2005/07/05/monochrom-art-happen.html Boing Boing: "Monochrom art happenings in San Francisco, July 8-23", 5 July 2005
  10. Web site: The Georgia Strait: "Austrian artists play in the underworld", 14-21 July 2005 . 15 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171230195238/http://www.monochrom.at/experiences/alive/georgiastraight-large.jpg . 30 December 2017 . dead .
  11. Web site: National Post: "Vienna's Gift To The City Of Vancouver: An Early Grave", 14 July 2005 . 15 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171230200003/http://www.monochrom.at/experiences/alive/nationalpost-large.jpg . 30 December 2017 . dead .
  12. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2007/02/06/how_to_be_buried_alive.html Toronto Star: "How to be buried alive", Erin Kobayashi, 6 February 2007
  13. http://torontoist.com/2007/02/attend_your_own/ Torontoist: "Attend your own funeral", Pandora Syperek, 6 February 2007
  14. http://sfist.com/2010/10/02/want_to_be_buried_alive_with_your_s.php sfist.com: "Want to Be Buried Alive With Your S.O. and Make Out With Them While Others Watch Via Webcam?", 2 October 2010
  15. http://www.cltampa.com/news-views/sex-love/article/20740921/the-six-feet-under-club-offers-sex-in-a-buried-coffin#.UfjcaG0deSo Daily Loaf, CL Tampa Bay: "The Six Feet Under Club offers sex in a buried coffin", 28 September 2010
  16. Web site: SF Weekly: "Couples Have Sex In Coffin Buried In Dumpster ", 7 October 2010 . 15 June 2016 . 3 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160803082058/http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/10/07/couples-have-sex-in-coffin-buried-in-dumpster-video . dead .
  17. Web site: 'Dirty Deeds Done Six Feet Deep', in Rue Morgue, January 2011 . 2016-06-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190203165636/http://www.monochrom.at/6fuc/RueMorgue--January2011-Page34_SixFeetUnderClub.pdf . 2019-02-03 . dead .
  18. http://carnalnation.com/content/58648/957/six-feet-under-club-takes-sex-new-depths "Six Feet Under Club takes Sex To New Depths", in 'Carnal Nation', 2010
  19. Web site: Heute: "Sex im Sarg: Alle sind schon sehr erregt", 29 November 2013 . 15 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171230200109/http://www.monochrom.at/info-monochrom/heute-sarg-3.jpg . 30 December 2017 . dead .
  20. Web site: Huck Magazine: "The Six Feet Under Club: an art project burying kinky couples alive", 31 March 2016 . 15 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180228025348/http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/art-2/six-feet-club-art-project-burying-kinky-couples-alive/ . 28 February 2018 . dead .
  21. http://www.meinbezirk.at/baden/lokales/guenther-friesinger-johannes-grenzfurthner-nora-zoglauer-im-sargdetails-die-kunstinstallation-buried-alive-ist-am-symposion-lindabrunn-auf-und-ausgestellt-beim-erntefestival-koennen-mutige-ausprobieren-wie-es-sich-anfuehlt-lebendig-begraben-zu-sein-m4779653,649540.html Mein Bezirk: "Kunstinstallation Buried Alive"
  22. http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20150325_OTS0164/das-nahtod-erfahrungs-doppelfeature OTS: "Das Nahtod-Erfahrungs-Doppelfeature"
  23. https://esel.at/termin/77001 eSeL.at: "monochrom: Buried Alive Probeliegen"

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