2008 Woodie Awards
Man buries himself alive for performance art
Artist paints arm black, covers himself in sand
By: Brandi McMurry
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: LifeStyle
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When he realized he would not be able to breathe beneath four tons of sand, Tom Brady got a little scared. He soon discovered, however, that sand is not air tight and began to breathe through a straw beneath the sand's weight.
Brady buried himself alive as a performance art piece during the Vietnam War. He said his left arm, which he painted black, and his bare leg symbolized his awakening to world religions. These were the only two apendages that could be seen emerging from the sand.
Tom Brady has been a performance artist since 1974. He spoke Nov. 11 to 50 people about his personal journey to become a performance artist. Brady said he thrives on performing pieces he considers dangerous.
"I know if I'm doing something dangerous, I'm growing artistically," Brady said. "If it's not a risk, it has probably been done before. It's empty inside."
Sand is a common theme in Brady's art. What began as a small project, a few buckets of sand on the ground with some logs surrounding it, evolved into Brady's first piece of performance art.
After painting one of his arms black, Brady said he was overwhelmed by an intense amount of energy and began to circle the sand, pouring little by little over his body.
He eventually laid down inside of the logs and buried himself. His left arm laid flat on top of the sand facing upward. His right leg was also pressed against the sand and protruded slightly to the left, but remained in a straight position.
"I went into a trance-like state and walked around the sand," Brady said. "Ultimately, I ended up burying myself beneath the sand a little at a time."
Brady performed this piece several times for himself before letting a photographer document his new artistic freedom.
"I was trying to find things that made me think and that I did not fully understand," Brady said. "Things that painted me into secrets I didn't even know myself."
When he emerged from the sand, Brady said he was no longer just a painter or a sculpturer. He was a performance artist. He said the sand project was when his personal growth as an artist emerged.
Brady buried himself alive as a performance art piece during the Vietnam War. He said his left arm, which he painted black, and his bare leg symbolized his awakening to world religions. These were the only two apendages that could be seen emerging from the sand.
Tom Brady has been a performance artist since 1974. He spoke Nov. 11 to 50 people about his personal journey to become a performance artist. Brady said he thrives on performing pieces he considers dangerous.
"I know if I'm doing something dangerous, I'm growing artistically," Brady said. "If it's not a risk, it has probably been done before. It's empty inside."
Sand is a common theme in Brady's art. What began as a small project, a few buckets of sand on the ground with some logs surrounding it, evolved into Brady's first piece of performance art.
After painting one of his arms black, Brady said he was overwhelmed by an intense amount of energy and began to circle the sand, pouring little by little over his body.
He eventually laid down inside of the logs and buried himself. His left arm laid flat on top of the sand facing upward. His right leg was also pressed against the sand and protruded slightly to the left, but remained in a straight position.
"I went into a trance-like state and walked around the sand," Brady said. "Ultimately, I ended up burying myself beneath the sand a little at a time."
Brady performed this piece several times for himself before letting a photographer document his new artistic freedom.
"I was trying to find things that made me think and that I did not fully understand," Brady said. "Things that painted me into secrets I didn't even know myself."
When he emerged from the sand, Brady said he was no longer just a painter or a sculpturer. He was a performance artist. He said the sand project was when his personal growth as an artist emerged.