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Venerations is an endurance performance where Edrian Ochoa dedicates all of his waking hours to honoring the Palestinians who have died as a result of Israel’s invasion of Gaza on 7 October, 2023. To bring physicality to the sheer loss of life, as well as venerate the lost and those who love them, he dedicates all of his time to cutting out human-shaped pieces of paper and ribbons for each of the 35,647 deceased. During this performance, he occupies the performance space, unable to go anywhere except to fetch water, use the restroom, or assist those in the immediate vicinity. He lives in that location, not moving beyond the bounds of his limited resources, for the entirety of the performance, with a few circumstantial exceptions. He refrains from eating, showering, and unspecified socializing for the performance. Below are the motivations and goals of Venerations:

To bring physicality to the magnitude of deaths caused by Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians and, more specifically, those in Gaza.
To cause disquiet to witnesses of the performance as they encounter first hand a fraction of the suffering being experienced in Gaza via the performers’ willful denial of human needs.
To publicize the magnitude of Israel’s crime against humanity in order to pressure it and its benefactors, like the United States and its allies, into ceasing all violence.
To provide solace to those who mourn the Palestinians and their impacted loved ones.

The performance is an act of protest. Venerations is an act of defiance against the current political matrix the performer, an American, inhabits. The United States has given Israel at least 300 billion USD of aid since its illegitimate seizure of land and declaration of statehood in 1946.¹ Since the recent invasion of Gaza, the US House of Representatives has passed an aid package of 26 billion USD to Israel² and the US has vetoed three ceasefire resolutions³, all while underfunding its own medical institutions, educational institutions, infrastructure, and social welfare. The performer rejects his country’s funding of war and violence, its unwillingness to help its own people, and the propaganda that legitimizes its domestic and international crimes. He undergoes this performance so as to disrupt the political sphere all witnesses inhabit in hopes of stirring action towards the liberation of Palestine.

Inclusion of a hunger strike in the performance is multipurpose, achieving the goals of:

Portraying some of the suffering Palestinians are forced to often endure due to the assault on their infrastructure, foreign aid efforts, and themselves.
Practicing extreme political dissent on ethical grounds via non-violent efforts, with any violence being that of the state choosing his starvation over peace.
Stressing the loss of life where starvation may prematurely end the performance.

In its whole, the performance will consist of the following components:

The cutting out of human-shaped pieces of paper and ribbons representing the dead, with names (written) and age demographics (colored ribbon) demarcated to the fullest extent possible. All cutouts will be displayed on a wall.
Deprivation of basic human needs in order to manifest a small portion of the suffering in Gaza while pressuring political actors towards ceasefire and Palestinian liberation.
A means of donating to a fund that will be distributed amongst relevant charities and individuals.
A petition asking the ArtCenter College of Design, the performer’s current school, to take a series of actions that affirm its dedication to justice with a distinctly antiwar and pro-Palestinian stance.
Video and audio of relevant digital materials like South Africa’s court proceedings against Israel and important Islamic prayers used in Palestinian mourning rituals.
A sign counting the days of genocide that have passed, starting at 7 October, 2023.
A list of internet resources where people can learn more about Palestine and Israel.
A digital and public spreadsheet documenting performance progress as well as the performer’s temperature, pulse, and blood pressure.
A live video feed of the performance through internet accessible sources.

Various components encourage and benefit from audience participation in the form of signing a petition, asking about the performance, donating to a fund, and cutting out human shaped pieces of paper with the performer. The purpose behind these participatory mechanisms is to encourage contemplation of the political circumstance, stimulate creativity in protest and artistic design, and give people a means of expressing their sentiments on the matter all while productively contributing to the cause. All attendees are allowed to mourn as they want, including but not limited to praying, bringing funerary offerings, and taking/directing moments of silence. Additional audience accommodations will include prayer rugs for any present Muslims and dates offered upon exiting.

1) Masters, J. & Merrow, W. (2024, April 11). U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts
2) US House passes $26bn Israel aid packae, sends to Senate. (2024, April 22). Memo Middle East Monitor. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240422-us-house-passes-26bn-israel-aid-package-sends-to-senate/
3) Bengali, S. (2024, March 22). A Look at the Three Previous U.N. Cease-Fire Resolutions the U.S. Vetoed. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/world/middleeast/us-cease-fire-resolution-vetoes.html

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