The Phenomenology of the Visceral Response. In: The Phenomenology of Blood in Performance Art

This chapter examines the embodied, phenomenological experience of witnessing another body in pain, exploring how empathy arises from our visceral responses to suffering. Drawing on Edith Stein’s 1917 theory of empathic experience, contemporary cognitive science, and performance studies, the discussion interrogates the limits of empathy, arguing that our capacity to empathize depends on the perceived relatability of the suffering body.
Through an analysis of performances by He Yunchang and Mike Parr—both of whom engage in real, un-aestheticized self-wounding—Lu’s chapter demonstrates that audiences experience profound visceral reactions when the performer’s pain appears immediate, unmediated, and recognizably human.
The chapter also considers the biological and neurological foundations of empathy, discussing mirror neurons and embodied cognition to explain why we flinch at the sight of another’s injury. Moreover, it explores the plasticity of empathy, demonstrating how life experiences, cultural conditioning, and social contexts shape and constrain our empathetic responses. Ultimately, the study argues that while empathy has clear limitations, it is also malleable and can be expanded through intentional practices, such as metta meditation, which fosters care and prevents emotional burnout.
This inquiry is particularly timely in an era of heightened sociopolitical precarity, where the ethical implications of bearing witness to suffering demand urgent reconsideration. The chapter concludes by advocating for a more sustainable, compassion-based approach to empathy—one that moves beyond visceral reactivity toward a proactive ethics of care.