DUALITIES

vulnerable                      resilient

fear                         adoration
inside                           outside
vast                            miniscule
prey                              predator
recipient                              actor
complex                             simple
imagined                            real
disgust                      attraction
hate                       love
abhor                    cherish
profane                sacred
grotesque                 elegant
ugly                     beautiful
abstract                representational
space                 specimen
empty                    full
fertile             barren
loss                promise
claustrophobic            open
deformed                 perfect
destructive             creative
destroyed                   pristine
dismembered               whole
inanimate                animate
surface                structure

Reading List

Vagina: a New Biography by Naomi Wolf
vital notes
violence against the vagina and the woman is a political tactic

When Sex Hurts: A Woman's Guide to Banishing Sexual Pain by Goldstein, Pukall and Goldstein
vital notes
*words that describe pain:
searing
itching
burning
stabbing
cramping
sharp
cutting
dull
aching
throbbing
gnawing
jabbing
hot
cold
pressure
bloating
numbing
shooting
soreness
constant
radiating
tightness

Methods & Processes

• duality - play & exploration
• gaze - play & manipulation
• blending invented & representational forms
• inviting complex cultural & personal emotional response
• 1. aesthetic seduction 2. emotional engagement 3. critical reflection 4. personal cultural response

Essential Questions

1. How do we feel about functions and organs of the body?
2. What role does the body play in politics of medicine, gender, sex, nutrition, self-maintenance and space?
3. What cultural norms and values am I challenging? What artistic processes and methods am I using to challenge them?
4. How does culture and memory become inscribed in our biology?
5. How are organs and functions of the body used to maintain systems of empowerment, influence and dis-empowerment?