Pure Immanence

Abstract

This support paper will explore the medical, societal and personal implications derived from the compulsion of self-mutilation. It is studied through research creation in the form of sculpture, photographs, videos and bio-art. Three bodies of work will be discussed, beginning with a critique of medical objectification and concluding on the subjective experience of psychic and physical pain. Experiencing bodies on display, however metaphorical, has the power to elicit emotional responses from a viewer. By interacting with the aforementioned three bodies of work in their various settings, social constructions are questioned and given context, taboo subjects are dissected and most importantly works may elicit an emotional response in the form of empathy in the viewer. Keywords: Research creation, pure immanence, self-mutilation, mental illness, stigma, medicalization, public sphere, private sphere, pain theory.