[Stelarc: Stretched Skin No.4 Munich 1977]

This video footage is of a suspension performance entitled Event for Stretched Skin No. 4 that took place at the Art Academy in Munich, Germany on 8 August 1977.

As the name suggests, this was Stelarc’s fourth suspension performance, in which the artist’s body is suspended in space by a series of hooks inserted into the skin. The artist began performing these durational performances in Japan in 1976; this was his first international performance.

In the video, we see the hooks being pierced into the skin across the back and front of the body. The body is then suspended upside down from a sculptural structure made out of logs of wood. The body hangs with arms outstretched in front of the windows of the Art Academy, showing Munich in the background. The performance is observed by a team of assistants, photographers and a small audience.

This performance was originally filmed on 1/2 inch videotape.