Catharsis (n) an experience of emotional release and purification, often inspired by or through art. In psychoanalysis, Catharsis is the release of tension and anxiety that results from bringing repressed feelings and memories into consciousness. This durational performance acts as both a personal and collective purification ritual, with the artist acting as agent for the audience. Clay stands in as a metaphorical vessel representing the primor- dial etheric body. Water is the ultimate symbol for purification. At the point of Catharsis, when the artist’s arms tire, the vessel is dropped and breaks, spilling its contents.