29/12/2013, 16:00 Puerta del Sol, Madrid. Duration: 2 hours.
This was the last of the three performances on the street. My intention was to give visibility to the hunger strike initiated by Jorge Arzuaga on the 12 of October 2013, which lasted 41 days. Other people such as Gisela, Alex, Frank and Juanma joined the strike, each with their own reasons, all sharing a wish to protest against the government. Signs around them exposed their inconformity with corruption, cuts and privatization of public healthcare and education, breaching of election promises, evictions, reduction of state pensions, unemployment and labour instability, bank and Church privileges, sexism, hunger and poverty.
I wanted to represent the 41 days using my body as a reflection of theirs, using time and repetition in an attempt to convey the weight of their action. The lack of visibility in the media was a major concern, and this situation was largely what prompted me to do the series of performances in Madrid.
I draw the digestive system on my skin, from the corners of my mouth to the rectum. Then I open my mouth and turn to look at the audience all around me, then I close it and swallow, sealing my lips with tape. I have closed my eyes and remain still for a period of time. Then I open my eyes and take the tape off. I open my mouth again, to start once again, representing the act of not eating, 41 times. Each time I take the tape off and open my mouth, I am counting a day of the hunger strike and making a mark on my arms; I say: "Day number .... Jorge Arzuaga was 41 days on hunger strike here." At the end of the 41 times, I remove the latex from my abdomen and leave it on the ground.
