French artist Abraham Poincheval on Thursday began a ten-day stay inside a giant bottle on the Canal Saint-Denis outside France’s Olympic Stadium.
“I am going to experience the excitement, the moments of joy, and the moments of disappointment too,” the 52-year-old French performer told Agence France-Presse (AFP), pointing to the monumental arena in the north of Paris, heavily adorned with large banners in the colours of the Games.
In his unusual six-by-two-metre dwelling, Poincheval aims to explore both the concept of privacy and how public space is utilised.
In an era when “many people put their lives on social media,” Poincheval questions “how we live knowing we’re being observed at all times.”
The modern-day Robinson Crusoe began his isolation well-prepared, with food and drink to last him until 3 August, when his stay in the bottle will conclude.
His temporary abode includes a compost toilet, a mini wind turbine and solar panels that supply a hint of electricity for lighting and ventilation.
This is not Poincheval’s first taste of confinement. In 2015, he spent two weeks in a taxidermied bear and in 2016, he endured a week on a 20-metre-high platform in front of the Lyon train station in Paris.
The current performance, aptly named “The Bottle,' is part of an artistic journey along the Canal Saint-Denis coinciding with the Olympics, which kick off on Friday and end on 11 August.
