Emotional Evolution
During her research, MPA discovered that Ono's relationship with the piece shifted over decades. Early photographs show anxious vulnerability that gave way to composure in later years.
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Initial performances were fueled by anger over societal treatment of women's bodies, but the act transformed into a gesture of peace and love.
"When I first performed this work, in 1964, I did it with some anger and turbulence in my heart.
This time I do it with love for you, for me, and for the world," Ono said.
This evolution resonates with MPA, whose own early work includes standing motionless for hours or lying nude on broken glass.
She recognizes a shared history of processing trauma and political struggle through physical endurance.
"I was really working out the anger in my own heart.
I had been raped and violated, and as a young queer person, I felt there were things that we had to fight for to exist," MPA said.
With time, both artists found a more balanced emotional space.
To honor Ono's tradition of offering her best attire, MPA selected garments by designers Victor Barragán and Aliona Kononova, whose work is informed by state-sanctioned violence and war.
She prepared through walking, meditating, and drawing on her experience as a figure model.
"I think still the act of having kind of cool cold scissors on me is going to feel provocative for me, and what that does for the audience, we will have to live and see how it feels," MPA said.
While she harbors minor worries about an overzealous audience member clipping her hair, MPA feels grounded by the quiet authority Ono maintained.
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The ability to command a room without speaking remains a testament to the enduring power of live, minimalist performance art.
