SUPER DEMOCRACY - The Senate of Things

Three cultural institutions enter into a dialogue with the Belgian Senate during the exhibition SUPERDEMOCRACY, which is on display throughout October. BPS22 in Charleroi, BOZAR in Brussels and M HKA in Antwerp provide a cultural dimension to the Senate’s current issues.

1.10.2017 - 31.10.2017

ORLAN

(c)image: Luc Wauman
MesuRAGE du Vatican Roma, 1974, 1974
Performance

The first of ORLAN's MesuRAGEs. She was stopped by security guards and then pretended to be fulfilling a vow, crawling on her knees around the Vatican. Also called "Ceci n'est pas un voeu" [This is Not a Vow].

For her first MeasuRAGE - an improvised, wildcat affair - ORLAN did not yet wear the dress-like smock that she later donned over her clothing, nor did she make white marks on the ground. The event was halted by security guards, forcing ORLAN to find a dodge to avoid further hassles with the Vatican. So she pretended to be fulfilling a vow by crawling on her knees, thus reassuring the security forces and temporarily interrupting the action, which over the next decade would be repeated in various forms.