SECTION THREE – HISTORICAL CONTEXT What has suspension generally been used for?
Historically, suspensions have been performed as rights of passage, vision quests, healing rituals, penance, rituals of deity devotion or as means to gain visions by leaving the body and/or communication with the spiritual realm. They have been used for testing the endurance of the mind and body, or even just to freak people out. Thanks to artists like Stelarc and modern suspension groups like TSD, suspensions are being increasingly used as performance art and even for entertainment.
