ORLAN
(c)image: Luc Wauman
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.