MARINA ABRAMOVIC AND ULAY, AAA-AAA, 1978

“Abramovic and Ulay kneel in front of each other, gazing into each other's eyes. Initially, they produce the same monotonous sound, but gradually a contest develops: who can yell, scream and yowl the loudest and longest? Ulay is the first to give up. When Abramovic has also screamed herself hoarse, they both resume their original position. The performance is reminiscent of 'Freeing the Voice' (Abramovic 1976), in which Abramovic screamed herself hoarse. There, the emphasis was on cleansing body and mind, while 'AAA-AAA' revolves around the relationship between two lovers. Starting from a position of equality, they try to outdo each other. There are two versions of 'AAA-AAA', one recorded in Liège, the other in Amsterdam. Both are studio performances without anaudience. In Liège, the performance was recorded by Barry van der Sluis for television, whereas the Amsterdam performance was filmed by Louis van Gasteren for documentation purposes.” - LIMA