abraham poincheval lives inside a bear for two weeks

abraham poincheval lives inside a bear for two weeks
all images courtesy of musée de la chasse et de la nature

for thirteen days and thirteen nights — beginning on april 1st, 2014 — french artist abraham poincheval is living inside the hollowed-out carcass of a bear, positioned in the center salon at the musée de la chasse et de la nature in paris. just like the mammal during the winter months, poincheval remains within a small enclosure, keeping with him all the basic things he might need to survive throughout the weeks spent inside; food, water, activities and even a place to relieve himself are all contained inside the makeshift unit. by residing within the species, poincheval aims to understand his own physical limits and experience animal nature, a symbolic image of the ‘inside out’ of a bear during hibernation. visitors to the museum are encouraged to interact with the encased artist. the performance is relayed for the public 24 hours a day through a live feed.

the french artist reads inside the bear

poincheval has everything he needs within the enclosure to sustain himself throughout the day

some of the tools within the bear

from the outside, the artist is invisible, hidden within

a view from the live feed inside the habitable sculpture