Through research, I found the podcast “Stuff Mom Never Told You” – Monday Mini: Writing About Sex. During this podcast, they spoke about how throughout history, society have come up with many different ways to be more indirect when describing sex or male/female genitalia. The euphemisms, terms and phrases used to describe genitalia are often derogatory and vulgar and here, I will further explore this topic.
I designed and created 3D breasts and experimented with a range of different sounds.
Initially, I added sound that did not link or fit to what is being shown. I did this to create a disjunction between what can be seen and what can be heard. For example, in this video I used the sound of a cat purring with the 3D breasts. I did this as vulvas and vaginas are usually described as a 'pussy' and clearly the image being shown is not a vulva or vagina but a pair of breasts.
I found this didn't work as well as I thought it would as it didn't quite have the effect I wanted. I decided I would experiment with them by giving them their own personalities/ personas. For example, many euphemisms used to describe female genitals can be linked to personification Bessy, Fanny, Mary etc. Sometimes they can be linked to gender identities - Girl Patch, The Old Gal, Old Girl, Womanhood, Womanly Bits.
I could do this by maybe looking into different voices and movements they could have/do?
I used the sound of a crowd applauding in this video.
I also decided to put vehicle sounds with the video. (Motorbike) This is because men sometimes refer to women as 'bikes' or 'village bikes' meaning they have had sexual intercourse with a lot of people.
Here, I used a male's voice of enjoyment as it could show how men view women and their bodies as trophy-like, something men can possess and control which they are proud of.
I really like this idea and will carry on exploring this further. I could try to move the 3D breasts into different environments to show that the use of slang is used everywhere - not just on social media.
3D Breast
I want to deconstruct the female body so it is not sexualised.
3D Fun Bag
I've began exploring this idea by taking apart the female body and placing them in nonsensical/ unrelated environments. I thought by doing this, it would be displaying the breast in everyday situations or environments. The more it is seen in day-to-day life, the less likely it is to be sexualised or fetishised.
A Rack in the Road
I wanted to use the 3D breasts in public areas and have them interact with cars and people. I did find this difficult as the 3D breast often wouldn't go behind other objects which made it seem less believable that it is actually there.
A Rack in the Road 2
I found it difficult to film the 3D breast interacting with people or objects as it would not go behind objects or people. This made the video look very unrealistic so I had to think of ways around the issue and different ways I could film it interacting with the world.
3D Fun Bag in the Unknown
I really like this clip as I edited it and make it look as if the 3D breast was very unsure of itself and almost questioning it's surroundings. I will definitely look into different ways I can edit more of my video clips as I think it looks really effective. I used a vintage effect on the video which made it look grainy, scratchy and choppy looking. I would like to explore this idea further and possibly some chrome or glitch effects which could distort the images/ film further.
This could further highlight that breasts, vulva and vagina are seen as a 'bad' word. It’s only seen as “bad” because society seems to think of a woman’s sexuality/body as a negative thing that shouldn’t be talked about. The words 'Breast', 'Vagina' or 'Vulva' have no power, we only give them power by refusing to use them correctly.
It is apart of our anatomy and if we have no problem with referring to our oesophagus then why do we make up names or let other people make up names to refer to our reproductive system?
Pipilotti Rist:
I'm Not The Girl Who Misses Much - 1986.
Pipilotti is dressed in a very low-cut black dress dances in front of the camera singing at the top of her voice “I’m not the Girl Who Misses Much”, words taken (and altered slightly) from a John Lennon song “Happiness is a Warm Gun”.
The picture is grainy and distorted, much like the sound. The video is very shaky and jerky, making the picture shudder every now and again. She sings the same line over and over again while dancing and performing very over exaggerated movements. Her red lips become the focus of attention, as much of her face cannot be seen from how distorted the images are. I think, in a way her lips distract the fact that one of her breasts falls out of her dress while she’s dancing. The film is filled with childish, naivety and simplicity while still showing a feminine view on the world. Pipilotti celebrates her body, energy and power while embodying the character in Lennon’s song.
I found Pipilotti's work very inspiring as I think she creates a middle ground between art and politics in this film. This is because in parts, the video is so speeded up and then slowed down, as well as the image being so distorted and the sound sometimes being inaudible. It creates an exaggerated grotesque form of the feminine qualities of the film (red lips, low-cut black dress and her bare breasts.) I'd like to include this into my work as I'd like to exhibit quite sexualised depictions of the female form while distorting them to avoid being over sexualised by the viewer. I think this would be effective as I want a comical undertone to my work so it creates a disjunction with the subject matter.
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