ALAN
CABALLERO
LAZARE
+INFo
+flores de maria
+Foundation
+TOW
+Tier 4
Tier 4 is a metaphor for the systems the Third Reich used to conceal atrocities. The name references Tiergartenstrasse 4, the address of Hitler’s secret organization that initiated the first euthanasia program using carbon monoxide gas to kill “undesirables.” As visitors waited to enter the performance space, underground house music blended with early 20th-century songs—some of which were forced upon Jewish prisoners on their way to the gas chambers or while digging their own graves. In concentration camps, such songs were sometimes played by prisoner orchestras to drown out victims’ screams, turning music into a tool of concealment. The space I created was decorated with flowers, an LED sign, and disco lights synchronized to the music. This mirrored Nazitactics—at Belzec, flowers adorned the courtyard before the gas chambers; at Treblinka, a ceremonial synagogue curtain was hung at the entrance reading: "This is the Gateway to God ... Righteous men will pass through. Vivacious, a legendary NYC drag queen, participated as the Gamemaster, accepting tickets from visitors and revealing tasks written in invisible ink. I was required to complete each task, which involved physically demanding activities using a pull-up bar, weights, a rower, and a treadmill. Groups of four entered at a time—once the first visitor handed over their ticket, the others became aware of their role and faced a choice. The performance lasted four hours. While some refused to participate, most handed in their tickets.