the art collectors

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

Espo Waterboarding for Real

Photo: Sam Horine

Taking his animatronic Waterboard Thrill Ride peep-show one step further, Steve Powers (ESPO) conducted a real-life waterboarding demonstration at a private Coney Island location this past Friday evening. For eight seconds, the artist and three volunteer lawyers became victims of the controversial military interrogation technique, which many say constitutes torture. Check Artforum here for the full story. Below is a brief excerpt from the article.

“Powers, now hooded, was roughly guided to the inclined waterboarding table. (As Ritz explained afterward, the head is laid below the heart so that less water gets into the lungs, allowing the interrogators to prolong the procedure.) Ritz then stuffed a large black rag into Powers’ mouth, held the artist’s nose with one hand, and poured a steady flow of water onto the rag like a frat boy pours a pitcher of beer. After about eight seconds, Powers began to twitch and jerk on the table, and Ritz quickly removed the rag. Dazed and flushed, the artist was led out of the room.”