Byars lived in Japan for ten years and was heavily influenced by Japanese culture. This drawing, which stretches over 210 feet when fully extended, was first shown in a performance at a temple in Kyoto
in 1964, in which a friend of Byars, dressed in black ceremonial robes, slowly unfolded and arranged the work in various configurations. The simplicity of Byars's single, continuous black line on a rhythmically
arranged surface highlights the performative nature of the drawing and creates a link with the ritualized elegance of traditional Japanese theater practices.
Gallery label from 2007.
