How can nudity be so provocative?' Florentina Holzinger on rocking Venice with naked jetskiers, human bells and urine divers

"In the middle of the lagoon, art world luminaries with dripping umbrellas are climbing on to a boat with raked seating to witness a one-off performance. Stationed opposite them is a barge fitted with a large crane, its boom extended high above the water, its heavy anchor chain plunging into the turbid depths. Women, naked but for tattoos and boots, emerge on to the deck of the barge. Directed by a bandleader in rubber waders, some pick up instruments and create an intense wall of sound."

"The electric guitarist clips herself on to the slippery crane, climbs to a vertiginous height and rocks out while straddling a steel bar. She is joined by a vocalist who screams and squalls like Yoko Ono. After 20 minutes of heavy drone, the boom rises, hoisting a cast-iron bell from the frigid water. Suspended upside down within it is a long-haired woman. As the bell rises above the Venice skyline, she begins to slam her body from side to side, sending a ringing out across the water."

"Welcome to the world of Florentina Holzinger: dancer, artist, choreographer, leader of Europe's coolest performance girl gang, and the woman most likely to rekindle childhood dreams of running away to join the circus. Representing Austria at the Venice Biennale, Holzinger arrives with a reputation. Over the last decade, her performances in European theatres and opera houses have provoked fainting epidemics, and furnished the tabloid press with ample manufactured outrage, whether provoked by nudity, blasphemy, sex, body-piercing or human waste (fake or otherwise)."

A damp Venice morning hosts a one-off performance on the lagoon. Art figures gather on a boat while a barge with a high crane and heavy anchor chain waits opposite. Naked women with tattoos and boots appear on the barge deck and musicians form an intense wall of sound under a bandleader in waders. An electric guitarist climbs a slippery crane and performs while straddling a steel bar, joined by a vocalist who screams. After heavy drone, the crane lifts a cast-iron bell from cold water, suspending a long-haired woman upside down inside it. As the bell rises above the skyline, she slams her body side to side, sending ringing across the water. Florentina Holzinger is presented as a dancer, artist, and choreographer known for provocative performances that have drawn outrage and strong reactions.

Read at www.theguardian.com