One Meter Democracy

Synopsis

One Meter of Democracy (2010) challenged the endurance of viewers, as well as the courage of the artist. In a quasi-democratic process, He Yunchang invited approximately 20 friends to vote in a secret ballot on whether he should have a surgeon cut a one metre incision the length of his body, from collar bone to knee, without anaesthesia. The vote was carried by a narrow majority, with several abstaining. The performance was documented in video and photographs that reveal the emotional cost of witnessing this gruelling event. This work, sometimes also known as ‘Asking the Tiger for its Skin’ was also staged on a symbolic date: 10 October 2010 was the 99th anniversary of the Wuchang uprising and the Xinhai Revolution which led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. The final image shows the group with sombre, shocked faces.

Main Cast

Yunchang He

Himself

Age : N/A | Popularity : 0%

Zhang Hui

Surgeon

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Crew

Department	Role	Name
Directing	Director	Yunchang He
Crew	Medical Consultant	Zhang Hui
	Translator	Jian Nei
Camera	Camera Operator	Song Tian Li Youjie He Jiancheng
Production	Coordinating Producer	Shu Yang Dai Zhuoqun Xia Xing
Editing	Editor	Song Tian Li Youjie Yunchang He
Department	Role	Name

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