Video And Text piece

The video piece allows the audience to re-consider the importance of text, and how this can be equally, if not more erotic than the act of viewing sex itself. Some of the earliest forms of pornographic films are dated around the1890’s examples of peeping toms, homosexual acts and stag films. Examples of these include Le Coucher de la Mariée, 1896 and À l’Écu d’or ou la Bonne Auberge, 1910. An example that particularly interests me is The Peeping Tom, 1897; a silent movie which permits the audience to view through the peeping hole at events happening, granting us the field of vision the voyeur possesses.

Screenshot of The Peeping Tom, 1897

As pornography developed into the 1920’s further eroticism was present, permitting more nudity within films. It is from this stage that I intend to place the audience.

Screenshot of Eroticism in the 1920’s

When considering text and some of the earliest forms of erotica we can look to D.H Lawrence’s Lady Chatterleys Lover, 1928. To which the first edition was banned in the British empire and U.S.A until the late 1960’s as it were previously regarded as an obscene publication, then re-published by Penguin books at the time of the sexual revolution. Is it attributable to the Sexual revolution that the censorship of erotic texts have developed and changed from some of the earliest readable sexual content in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, 1928,to Fifty Shades of Grey, 2011 (suggested to lack the class present in Lawrence’s writing, currently available in any bookstore to pick up and read).

An example of text that particularly interest me from within the first edition of Lady Chatterleys Lover (within the public domain) is:
‘Eh! What it is to touch thee!’ he said, as his finger caressed the delicate, warm, secret skin of her waist and hips. He put his face down and rubbed his cheek against her belly and against her thighs again and again. And again she wondered a little over the soft of rapture it was to him. She did not understand the beauty he found in her, though touch upon her living secret body, almost the ecstasy of beauty. For passion alone is awake to it. And when the passion is dead, or absent, then the magnificent throb of beauty is incomprehensible and even a little despicable; warm, live beauty of contact, so much deeper than the beauty of vision. She felt the glide of his cheek on her thighs and belly and buttocks, and the close brushing of his moustache and his soft thick hair, and her knees began to quivers. Far down in her she felt a new stirring, a new nakedness emerging. And she was half afraid. Half wished he would not caress her so, he was encompassing her somehow, yet she was waiting, waiting.’ (Lawrence, 

By appropriating previous material it will permit the audience to realise the development of both text and video’s sexual content from its earliest stages up to the present; questioning the content that is released currently, and whether it holds the same perceived status it did in the past and further examining the truths within erotica, in comparison to the way that much erotic media is fabricated today. This piece will remain silent as homage to early media.

Video Documentation of Performance

This performance questions the development of sexualized objects within contemporary society, and whether or not these have really been accepted. It will further delve into some aspects of ‘the male gaze’ and examine early ideas about women and vanity; referencing John Berger’s theories expressed in his series On the Female Nude, Ways of Seeing, 1972. Within the series Berger speaks about how women from early stages have been almost trained to look at how we perceive one another and how we are therefore expected to perceive ourselves.

Berger discusses how glances act as mirrors, as a reminder of how we should represent ourselves, as ‘behind every glance is a judgment’ (Berger, 1972). He begins by discussing how women were taught, and more importantly expected to survey themselves with regards to men, due to this being the main way to achieve a form of success in life. This stems from early European oil paintings, to which the woman is depicted to be looking back at us spectating her, or for the woman to be gazing at herself within the mirror, symbolizing vanity.(Williams, 2014)

Within our contemporary society more and more woman feel the need to spend copious amount of time on their appearance and constructing their identities ascribable to the pressures of society. The performance begins to break down identity through the use of products, examining the relationship between beauty and sex. This is illustrated by using sexualized beauty products in the form of vibrating mascara’s/lipsticks etc within a woman’s daily routine of presenting herself. The performance will take place in front of a vanity mirror; I am planning to use something similar to in the picture below.

Vanity Desk, Own Photography

The video itself will be framed through a keyhole as we peer into the scene of a woman within the realm of the being. This evolved from a conversation that took place at an Ann Summers party; to which the representative explained how many of their products have developed into being hidden in the form of another object so their partners would not get jealous of them using sexual stimulants. The sound (vibrations) from this piece, will surround the installation, and throughout the spoken performance.

Speech Performance:

Speech Performance:

The speech performance will work with fake narrative, exploring the expectations around sex work, inviting the audience to experience and authentic reading of experiences that surround the line of work. The text will be kept anonymous as it is being collected through conversations with the subject. This development came about due to the implications of being unable to work withmany texts as they weren’t within the public domain an example of this is To beg I am ashamed, 1938, Sheila Cousins.

Upon further research there are currently hourly talks occurring on BBC Radio 4 presented by Jenni Murray. Within these discussions Murray has been addressing the issues surrounded by prostitution and whether or not there should be a jail sentence for men who pay for sex. Throughout the week’s morning sessions, Murray interviews various prostitutes with varied experiences and opinions on their present and/or past work, further discussing the separation between prostitution and trafficking.

The spoken durational performances at each venue will allow the audience to further question and examine the issues surrounding sex work and its current position within contemporary society. It is due to the content that will be expatiated that the piece itself will not be for sale, or reproduced after Bloomberg, 2014. However, after the performance, for the duration of the event the text pieces will be left within the installation as a reminiscence of the performance. Lit by the same soft red spotlighting (similarly to those found in darkrooms) that will attract the glare of the public eye through the performance on the opening night.