The silly crying thing in front of strangers was his take on Marina Abramovic's work, which first began with "Rhythm 0" in 1974, where she stood still with 72 objects and a sign instructing viewers to use the objects as they pleased on her. The items ranged from harmless, like a feather, to things like a scalpel, and a real bullet and gun.

The sign at the exhibit simply said:

Instructions.
There are 72 objects on the table that one can use on me as desired.
Performance.
I am the object.
During this period I take full responsibility.
Duration: 6 hours (8 pm – 2 am)

At Abramovic's original exhibition, allegedly, by the third hour her clothes had been cut away by the razorblade provided. Her skin was cut with the razor blade in the next hour. Someone sucked her blood. She was molested several times. A small fight broke out among the crowd when a man put the loaded gun in her hand, aimed it at her head, then was in the process of putting her finger on the trigger.

Shia claims he was raped by a woman after having his legs whipped by her for 10 minutes. He did not press charges or call for any type of retribution. Owning up to the consequences of allowing people to do what they wanted to him was literally the entire point of the exhibit.