Columbia Student to Carry Around Mattress as Performance Art Until Her Alleged Rapist is Removed From School

A Columbia University student plans to carry her dorm room mattress with her everywhere she goes until her alleged rapist is removed from the Ivy League school.

In a video published online Tuesday by the school's official newspaper, visual arts senior Emma Sulkowicz said the act will not only serve as a protest, but will also be her senior thesis.

"I will be carrying this dorm room mattress with me everywhere I go for as long as I attend the same school as my rapist," she said.

Image source: Screen grab via YouTube

Sulkowicz told the Columbia Spectator that the supposed piece of art is titled "Mattress Performance" or "Carry That Weight."

"A mattress is the perfect size for me to just be able to carry it enough that I can continue with my day, but also heavy enough that I have to continually struggle with it," she told the school newspaper.

The visual arts student said the piece of performance art could last one day or go on for weeks, depending on the university's actions against her alleged rapist. According to the Columbia Spectator, she filed a police report against the individual in May.

—

Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter