Oil Drums, Hommage à Charlotte Moorman

These two metal barrels were used during performances of Variations on a Theme by Saint-Saens. This was a score by Paik that Moorman performed by playing the opening measures of Camille Saint-Saëns’s famous 1886 composition The Swan on a cello. She then suddenly stopped, climbed a ladder and submerged herself in the top drum, which was filled with water. After the dip, Moorman climbed back down and finished playing the sentimental tune while dripping wet. Paik made this work as a memorial to Moorman following her untimely death in 1991.