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Cultural issues, history and basic biology make it so that women
carry a far greater burden than men when it comes to sex between
men and women. Women's safety is much more compromised, women
are far more likely to contract STIs and suffer greater complications
from them, women can become pregnant, women are mor greatly sexually
exploited, bought and sold, the female reproductive system is
far more wrought with complications and hazards than the male
one, women menstruate, women are often put in the role -- personally,
and via culture -- of being the rulemakers/guardians when it comes
to sexual limits and boundaries, women bear greater scrutiny and
consequence for their sexual choices. In many ways, women with
awareness of women's history when it comes to sex, and women who
are compassionate for other women, also take our collective history
to bed: women often cannot compartmentalize sex in this regard
the way many men can. A list like this could go on for days.
The project I'm starting on is one which intends to illuminate
some of this imbalance in a very visceral way, through which both
men could hopefully get a better sense of what many women take
to bed with them, and so that women as well -- especially heterosexual
women, who have never known any different -- might be acknowledged
of what they carry, how heavy it can be, and not take it for granted
or simply suck it up without notice. Ideally, this can be done
without attack or judgment, especially since many of these imbalances
are biological and intrinsic, and while heightened and made worse
by culture and by many men, are not the "fault" of men as a gender.
(And there are plenty of men who are open to understanding this
stuff, but who just don't because it hasn't been explained/shown
to them in any real, visceral way.) I do think, however, that
all genders being able to really see and recognize the imbalances
-- even if only for a moment -- could have a powerful and positive
effect. That, as well, having a better understanding of them could
be helpful to men and women alike in reducing that imbalance when
possible; in better sharing that burden more equally.
The project will at this point likely involve more than one piece,
with aspects that are textile and sculpturally-based, photographic
and possibly web-based as it evolves, created of photos, text
and objects which illustrate these issues: contraceptives, rape
statistics, abortions, pregnancy scares or fertility issues, harassment,
differences in desire, menstruation, social judgment, the works.
I have plenty of my own artifacts, but I feel that a project like
this is benefitted by adding items which are not just mine; I
think when other women contribute, a viewer can be able to actually
feel a greater collective energy.
The types of items I'm looking for and will use are:
- Contraceptives: full, half-full or empty pill, patch or ring
packs. Old diaphragms. Condom wrappers, spermicide tubes. Removed
IUDs. Older contraceptives no longer in use. (Any one who could
find an old Dalkon Shield would have my eternal gratitude.) Copies
of medical records for tubal ligation or other contraceptive procedures.
- Menstrual products (again, my kingdom for anyone who has an
old menstrual pad belt system -- can't believe I didn't keep mine,
as I may have been the only woman my age who got stuck with one
-- lord knows I keep everything else) and/or things soiled by
menstruation (washed, please).
- STI artifacts: screenings, tests, copies of records from PID
or infertility due to untreated or extensive infection,
- Abortion artifacts: medical histories or records, bills. Polaroids
of a clinic where one had an abortion. Photos of known women who
died from unsafe abortion or who suffered great complications/trauma.
- Fertility/pregnancy artifacts: bills/records of childbirth procedures,
fertility tests, IVF and other treatments, miscarriages, unwanted
pregnancy. Fertility charts. Adoption paperwork. Photos of children
lost. Estrogen treatment artifacts. EC scrips.
- Rape/sexual violence artifacts: police reports from rape, harassment
or stalking. Copies of restraining orders or paperwork from divorces,
etc. because of domestic abuse. Polaroids of a place where a rape/gender-based
assault occurred. Photos of a rapist/abuser known to you, or a
slip of paper with a first name on it (which may all, if I get
a lot of them, be folded up and simply placed in a pocket/section
for named rapists). Mace and other self-defense devices. Photos
of women known to you who died or sustained injury from abuse/assault.
Child/interfamilial sexual abuse artifacts.
- Misogynistic products which can or do, by design, harm women
or their health for the purpose of making women "cleaner" or less
female: douches, vaginal "washes" or deoderants, vaginal drying
agents, labiaplasty brochures, FGM artifacts, histories of older
'sexual dysfunction" treatments, many of which were clearly dismissing
that no desire was felt, etc.
- Clearly misogynist or violent pornography, printouts of spam
for male penis products where the language is misogynist (this
is often seen with text that expresses things like "banging her
good," "ripping her up," etc.). As well, artifacts which illustrate
culturally-sanctioned and endorsed body image issues put on women
who sleep with men.
- GYN exam tools, especially those older than the last thirty
years, and/or photos of exam issues which are knowingly or questionably
necessary (stirrups, for instance, or way-too-tiny exam sheets/gowns).
- Short, handwritten stories, journal entries or poems about these
issues, no larger than a piece of paper which is a 5x5 inch square.
- And likely plenty of things which are symbolic of the issues
I haven't even thought of or could be used creatively, like brochures
on date rape, letters found which illustrate infidelity or a betrayal,
items from diet programs which pitch a thinner woman being more
sexually appealing, artifacts which illustrate heterosexism or
negative heterosexual roles, old books for new wives (from 1965
backwards), articles or texts which show the shaming often put
on women who are sexually "loose," training bras, chastity belts,
symbols of nonconsent or a lack of full consent, the works.
In short, what this is will in many ways be determined by what
ends up here for the project: by what women, myself and others,
have per material things representing all of these issues, and
what it all says, fairly organically, when I have a decent collection
of all of it. I'm not simply looking to create something which
visually represents these things: I'm looking to make magic with
the energy of all of this so that one might actually be able to
FEEL this energy as well as see the issues.
Many of these items, and the stories one tells with them, are
very personal and very sensitive, and I view contributions --
even when they seem small or tiny -- as a real gift, because you
are sharing your experience and your energy with me when it comes
to very loaded subjects and experiences. I absolutely guarantee
to respect privacy and anonymity when that is relevant, and I
can assure you I will treat everything given -- materially and
emotionally -- with absolute respect and reverence. I will also
keep anyone who participates posted on the project as it evolves,
and by all means, publically acknowledge your contributions, unless
that is NOT wanted.
For more information, or for a shipping address to send items
to, please email me at: projects@heathercorinna.com
I expect it to take me five years to complete this project, If
you have an item you think may cost you to ship and want me to
cover shipping, email me about it, and depending on the item,
I'll be able to do that in some cases. For the most part, I do
not expect to be able to return items. |
