Sleeping performance
I slept in front of the audience in October 2023.
The duration of the performance was 2 REM cycles (3 hours). I was genuinely sleeping in front of the audience showing trust to anybody who happened to be in the space that night.
I was performing in a pile of feathers in a little rectangular cart (designed to vaguely remind the audience of a bed). I was wearing a huge white blouse; white light was directed right into my sleeping zone.
The basic rules of the performance were simple:
the artist had to actually fall asleep in the little cart;
the artist was required to actually stay asleep during the entire performance;
if the performer accidentally woke up/has been woken up by an audience member, the performer had to fall back asleep immediately;
and for the audience:
the audience was not allowed to disturb the sleeping performer.