BY BOB KRASNER | Hedy Zhang, a fine-art major at Parsons, started branching out into performance art last year. But it wasn’t until a Saturday a couple of weekends ago that she put herself out into a public space — in a cage. More specifically, a dog crate, in which she sat for 10 hours in Union Square Park performing a silent piece called “Self Imprison.”
The idea, she explained later (she did not speak to anyone except her assistants while performing) was to make people aware that they sometimes put themselves into their own psychological prisons. By becoming aware of this, they can begin to break free. When it was over, she kicked open the door, breaking it.
“The most difficult part of this performance,” Zhang explained, “was to get over my own fear and finish it — I didn’t know how people in New York City would react.” For announcements of Zhang’s upcoming performances, check @hedyyyyyyyyyy on Instagram.
