Lying Down Ceremony (December 17, 1968)

PARTICIPANT: "I participated in Milan Knizak's Happening and found it to be exhilarating and self-revealing experience. Totally unaware of what was happening at the first moment I entered the Old Gym, except that silence was to be maintained, I wholeheartedly placed myself into the artist's grasp almost as if I were a new born child. Without sight I immediately tried to concentrate on my senses of hearing smell and movement. In walking I tried to follow the movement of Knizak's body by sensing his rhythm, vibrations, and smell. When placed upon the hard surface I became aware of breathing around me. The area was cold. As I mentioned I had decided to totally trust Knizak. So I waited and waited. I began to move my hands about me trying to discover what was about me. I first became aware of a shoe. It was large with thick, dirty soles. On the other side of me I became aware of something cold and damp. It was a hand. At first tactile touch, I immediately moved away. Soon, however, I began to explore again and finding the hand less hostile to my own I began to touch this hand. I was soon able to tell that this person was a man with an old sweater because it was beady. He had a certain smell which was not unpleasant. His hair was long an coarse. He had a mustache and beard but not too full. His body was lean. He was wearing beads and corduroy pants. I learned a great deal about this person and I am sure he did about me. But what I felt was a very beautiful thing. We hd developed a relationship of security and warmth. Put into this strange environment filled with tension we were able to share our tension and to minimize it to a great deal. We developed a relationship that was based without any of the preconceptions and prejudices that sight affords. It was as though two blind people had helped each other and had become friends. So many thoughts went through my head as to what I was doing and feeling that I became unaware of everything else about me. When the Happening was over and the video tape was shown I was shocked to find that I had been the only one who had acted in such a way. I began to feel as though I had done something wrong and that I should be ashamed. But, eventually I realized what I had done was in my heart."

(from Critical Mass: Happenings, Fluxus, Performance, Intermedia and Rutgers University 1958-1972)