Filmoteka Muzeum

Bus I was performed for the first time in May 1975 at the Warsaw gallery Dziekanka. The decision to stage a spectacle that lacked physical action and instead used image and sound as the exclusive means of artistic expression was a significant departure from common theatrical conventions. The participants who took part in the performance assumed one of two roles, bus passenger or driver, and were required to remain still for a considerable amount of time on an invisible platform. The participant’s minimal expression was the result of physiological changes caused by their frozen posture and the presence of a strong spotlight. The motion-less image created by the participants was complemented by the cyclical movement of an actress and sounds such as street hustle and bustle, work at the factory and official state celebrations. The extreme synthesis of artistic means featured in the performance left the audience in a similar standstill long after the abrupt ending of the show, when the lighting and sound equipment wires were pulled out of the socket.

References: Akademia Ruchu. Miasto. Pole akcji. City. The Field of Action, ed. by M. Borkowska (Warsaw 2006).
 

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