In 1973, conceptual art was dominated by language and objects. Abramović, influenced by the body art of the Viennese Actionists, argued that the most direct transmitter of meaning was the living body under duress. Edinburgh’s festival audiences—accustomed to theatre, music, and dance—were forced to ask a new question: Is this art, or is this real? Abramović’s answer was that there is no difference.
In 1973 Abramović performed "The Wall"
So, when one asks for Marina Abramović’s "first performance in Edinburgh year," the precise answer is and the piece is Rhythm 10 . But more importantly, Edinburgh was not just a date on a CV. It was the surgical theater where Abramović first dissected the boundary between life and art—and found, to her relief, that there was no boundary at all. The blood on that white paper was her diploma. The silence after the final stab was her manifesto. marina abramović first performance edinburgh year