Artist was 'ready to die' after allowing spectators to do anything to her for six hours in extreme performance

In 1974, artist Marina Abramovic allowed the public free rein of her body for six hours as part of a controversial performance art piece.

Spectators had a simple task: there were 72 objects laid out in front of Abramovic and they could 'use' the items on her as they desired while she wouldn't move her body for six hours in what she called 'Rhythm 0'.

No matter what they did, Abramovic said she would take 'full responsibility'.

Of the 72 objects were things like flowers, perfume and apples, as well as more sinister items like razors and knives.

Marina Abramović is a performance artist. (NICK GAMMON/AFP via Getty Images)

While people were tame at first, things took a dark turn for Abramovic around half-way through the experiment.

A knife was stuck between her legs, while parts of her clothing were ripped off her.

Harrowing photos taken at the time show Abramovic crying.

She got to see both sides of humanity; while one individual reportedly cut her neck to drink her blood, others wiped away the artist's tears and tried to intervene.

According to some reports, Abramovic - who had been hailed as 'one of the most significant artists of the second half of the 20th century' - eventually ended up with a loaded gun to her head, sparking people to step in and end the performance.

One person cut the artist. (Marina Abramović Institute/YouTube)

It still remains up for debate whether it was their intervention that ended 'Rhythm 0' or whether the six hours finally elapsed.

Reflecting on the performance in an interview posted on the Marina Abramovic Institute YouTube channel, she labelled the piece as 'really difficult'.

"At the beginning, nothing really happened," she reflected. "The public were really nice. They gave me a rose, they would kiss me, look at me, and the public became more and more wild."

Speaking about things she endured and when the performance finally came to an end, she went on: "I start moving. I start being myself [...] and, at that moment, everybody ran away. People could not actually confront with me as a person."

Abramović performed her 'Rhythm 0' piece in 1974. (Dave Benett/Getty Images for the Roundhouse)

She added: "The experience I drew from this piece was that in your own performances you can go very far, but if you leave decisions to the public, you can be killed."

Further reflecting on this in a 2014 interview with the Guardian, Abramovic said she was 'ready to die'.

"I had a pistol with bullets in it, my dear. I was ready to die," she told the newspaper.

The acclaimed artist went on to label herself as 'lucky' that she lived to tell the tale.