Kicking off our Valentine’s Day countdown of love-themed posts is a precarious performance piece by Marina Abramović and her then-partner Ulay. Performed and recorded in Amsterdam, Rest Energy saw the couple draw a large bow and arrow between them—using their full body weight to do so—with the arrow directed towards Abramović’s heart. The artists held their uncomfortable position for over four minutes, while microphones attached to their chests recorded their increasing heart rates. Abramović has described the piece as one of the most difficult of her career, saying it was “about complete and total trust.”
