CW: Discussion of rape and sexual assault

Three Weeks in May was a performance and installation work characterized as a “happening” created by Suzanne Lacy to rile up opposition against rape culture and educate the public about the pervasiveness of rape. Lacy set up two large maps of Los Angeles and stamped the word “RAPE” across each location where rapes had been reported the previous day. The second map provided resources to rape survivors. This work shocked the viewer by speaking to something extremely taboo in a very public sphere. It put pressure upon the government and law enforcement by taking matters into the peoples’ hands and exposing staggering numbers of assaults that were occurring under the supposedly watchful eye of the government. In addition, the work’s educational aspect existed through performance works of women giving accounts of their own rape, self-defense courses, and resources for survivors. This employed a strategy of inviting people into the work rather than just spouting information outwards, giving individuals a sense of involvement and inclusion through something they could take away from the work or contribute.