Leo Walford's Analysis of Michael Landy's 2001 Performance Art Piece 'Break Down'

Leo Walford examines Michael Landy's 2001 performance work 'Break Down', documented in a photograph by Julian Stallabrass. The analysis was published on March 1, 2018, through artcritical.com. Landy's piece involved systematically destroying all his personal possessions in a London department store. This radical act questioned consumer culture and artistic value. Stallabrass's photographic record captures the industrial-scale dismantling process. The work remains a landmark in conceptual art about materiality and destruction. Walford's critical perspective engages with the piece's enduring relevance. The discussion highlights how Landy transformed personal annihilation into public spectacle.