Spurious Bodies

Abstract

This research creation project investigates how consensual practices work against individuals not supported by the dominant discourse. It seeks to visually represent a body of experience that is removed from the heterosexual, cis-gendered, able-bodied norm as a means of dissemination and acceptance. This project responds to cultural stereotypes regarding sex, specifically focusing on the role of visual signifiers as a means to embody narratives that problematize the absolute value of consensual practices. These experiences have been mined from a broad range of sources including peer-reviewed research, art, and design theory, personal experience, publicly available sexual assault case studies, and the narratives of #metoo. The project seeks to expand on the conceptualization of sex and abuse, especially with its relation to both the practical and legal function of consent. This is investigated and challenged throughout a series of artworks that support a problematic relationship between consensual practices and bodily autonomy. The creative products of this process include print media, textile art, and sculptural installation. Throughout this heuristic and embodied research creation practice, this project exemplifies the functionality of materiality concerning the representation of identity, subjectivity, and experience. The potential range of embodiment for each iteration was curated and enhanced through the use of juxtaposition, humor, and paradox. This body of research destabilizes the absolute authority of consensual practices, highlighting how the conceptualization of consent, along with its functionality, perpetuates marginalization based on identity. Working to build a deeper understanding of the relationship between bodily politics and consent, this project asks for further individualistic consideration of consensual rights with respect to ongoing feminists’ sex-critical discourse.