VULVOgrapy: performance & photography from a female point of view

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ULVOgraphy

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A practice-led research on photography and performance from a female point view

by Fenia Kotsopoulou

This book is part of the artistic portfolio in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Fine Arts in Choreographing Live Art - University of Lincoln (UK).

2015 Fenia Kotsopoulou MA/MFA Choreographing Live Art University of Lincoln (UK)

“The self, the vulva and the world are labyrinthine threshold and their infinity relies only on our exploration.�

Patricia MacCormack

Fenia Kotsopoulou Greek cross-disciplinary artist (performance, dance, video art, photography), currently living and working in Lincoln (UK), where she attended the MA/MFA in Choreographing Live Art at the University of Lincoln. She holds a BA honours in dance from the National Dance Academy of Rome (Italy) and a BA honours in Italian Literature and Language from the Aristotle university of Thessalonikis (Greece). During the last five years her artistic practice has deepened, moving beyond purely physical expression to integrating video & photography as creative tools of investigation, exploration and expression.

Her work has been shown at international festivals and art-platforms in Greece, Italy, Germany, UK, Argentina, Spain, France and more. info: feniakotsopoulou.de virtualgallery.com/galleries/fenia_kotsopoulou feniakotsopoulou.wix.com/photo vimeo.com/feniakotsopoulou

C

ONTENTS ABOUT Performance Photography Why ?

How ?

What ?

VULVOGRAPHY V(ulv)AMERA External body Internal body Characteristics PERFORMANCE INSTALLATION DOCUMENTATION ONE TO MANY - ONE TO ONE VULVOGRAPHS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT

P

erformance art and photography are my two main fields of interest and my work is an investigation of how they influence each other, what kind of new possibilities can be created from their intersection and fusion, and how we can explore different aspects of photography as performance and vice-verse.

In order to reach a pivotal moment to demonstrate the potential for a further hybrid dialogue between the fields of photography and performance art, I aim to develop and reveal a hybrid practice where the boundary between performer and photographer is less distinct than one might initially assume; a place where the photographic process is a form of performance while the body –and in particular the female bodyby undertaking the role and function of the camera becomes a “performative machine�.

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ULVOgraphy: a practice-led research I look at photography as somatic practitioner with a professional background in dance, improvisation, and body performance. Over the course of the last five years, I have worked to integrate video and photography into my practice not only for documentation purposes but also as creative tools of exploration and expression.

Consequently, new questions started formulating around self-perception, body image, identity, power relationships, and other issues related to modern visual culture and our response to it. Focusing on cameras with telescopic lenses, I state we can identify phallocentric elements within the photographic process related to issues of power, control and “male gaze�. The camera as a phallic subject is one of the statements emerging through my research which generated the following questions:

Wh y

{{ can the photographic camera be seen as a phallic symbol?

“Lens is to blame. It made visible small things on the surface of the moon, so that it became difficult to admire the size of the moon.”

Flusser V. ,Writings, 2002, p. 160.

“The intricately fashioned, glittering tubes and shining lenses hold for them something of the appeal that jewellery does for women.”

Carl Fulton Sulzberger, Unconscious Motivations of the Amateur Photographer, 1955.

“The camera as phallus is, at most, a flimsy variant of the inescapable metaphor that everyone unselfconsciously employs. However hazy our awareness of this fantasy, it is named without subtlety whenever we talk about “loading” and “aiming” a camera, about “shooting” a film... Like guns and cars, cameras are fantasy-machines whose use is addictive... Still, there is something predatory in the act of taking a picture.”

Susan Sontag, On Photography, 1977 (p. 13-15)

Ho w

{{ can we confront phallocentrism implied within the photographic process?

do we re-create a camera that challenges and confronts male dominance and phallocentric elements in photography?

The symbolic gesture of removing the lens and separating it from the body of the camera (act of castration) opens new possibilities to revisit the process from a different perspective.

What

{{ are the characteristics and politics of a camera constructed from a female point of view?

are the consequences within the relationships coming into play during the image making process?

VULVOGRAPHY

VULVOgraphy Changes perspective.

Celebrates the female body as its reference point.

Dismisses the “male gaze” and is in search of the “female gaze”.

Reverses the masculine & relentless chronology of history by revisiting the traditional method of pinhole photography.

Embodies a way to appreciate the simplicity and complexities of capturing and developing ONE single image.

Becomes a performance in which both photographer and subject need to be engaged and exposed differently when compared to a photographic session.

Embraces failure as a meaningful part of the creative process. and...

Confronts phallocentrism and patriarcal systems of values within the dominant visual culture.

VULVOgraphy, V(ulv)amera, and Vulvographer are not technical terms referring to a new kind of photographic technique. In the same way that Photography is not literally “drawing with light”, VULVOgraphy is not literally “drawing with my vulva”.

The synthesis of “vulva” and “graphy” acts to draw attention to the conceptual foundations of my female approach to questioning normative phallocentric photography. More than replacing the phallic camera, the V(ulv)amera offers a feminist-oriented way to experience the image-making process and its innovation relies on tilting the angle of the relationship between photographer and subject.

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ULVOgraphy

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V(ulv)AMERA

Focal lenght: 50 mm Pinhole aperture: 0.30 mm F/stop: 168 ISO: 6 Sunny day exposure: 18-20 sec Cloudy day exposure: 23-25 sec

An original, hybrid, vulvophilic, “performative” camera, designed to offer an unconventional experience to both photographer and subject while taking a photo from cunt’s-eye-view : something that you won’t find in the established market.

From my point of view, a large part of the phallocentric aspect of a conventional camera is its lens: long, tubular and capable of generating the moment of intrusion I am keen to avoid in VULVOgraphy.

Therefore, a key part of my process has been to abandon the lens entirely and to therefore symbolically castrate the device.

In order to create a camera without a lens, I had to “revert� to pinhole photography, and work directly with the optics of

a

hole - the original, and perfect: lens.

The V(ulv)amera consists of two parts:

E

XTERNAL BODY

A cast of my vulva, in a variety of materials created through a multi-stage process casting from negative to positive and back again.

To arrive at the external bodies used for both vulvographic sessions and image display, I used a variety of materials in a series of steps.

The initial (negative) mould taken directly from my vulva enabled a first generation (positive) cast which was in-turn used to create the second generation mould which enabled multiple identical positives to be created.

m

aterials

Chromatic Skinsafe ALGINATE Plaster of Paris White Conforming Bandage Liquid Latex Mould Moulding Fast Cast Polyurethane Liquid Plastic Casting Resin RTV Silicone Rubber

EMBRACING FAILURE 20/04/15, 15:05

Excerpts from the DIARY of a vulvographer.

....the first attempt to make a casting of my vagina failed. I still feel weird...very weird...and naive for have taken such a risk...

Can you explore, experiment, discover without risking? No...

However, I think the problem was that I was not aware of the internal structure and morphology of my vagina. A peculiar way to discover more about it in such a way. ...while we were trying to take out the remains of the alginate from inside my cunt, I had to stay very calm and concentrated.

I had to collaborate with my body...several moments I felt touching the threshold of panic. ...external alien bodies trapped inside my warm, soft, vagina... go out!...cold, pain, push, insert, search, find, grasp, feel, fear, shape, texture, wet, liquid, push again, breath, breath deeply, cold, stop, wait, breath, silence, a tear, a smile, last one, check, close eyes, lying, hands, caress...my body: a complex landscape to be explored in the dark.

Patienly, after two hours, we removed piece by piece the remaining alginate...I look now at these small parts of cold white material and I see details of my interior skin...but mainly, I can sense the whole physical and emotional experience...I don’t want to re-try...my vagina is not meant to be seen but to be felt...Anyway, at the end, I have the first casting of my vulva and labia...and this is good because I have a reason to continue towards this direction...Tired.Stop for today.

PROCESS

PREPARATION: shave your pubic hair for better results (in terms of capturing the skin detail of the vulva). Make a box to use as a dam. Find a position to hold for 20min (use the wall). Insert a tube into your vagina to create a negative space for the opening to later hold the internal body.

ALGINATE mixed with water forms a thick liquid.

Pour it in the box intil it’s covered, and wait for a few minutes until the alginate changes colour and consistency. On top of the alginate, pour an additional layer of Plaster of Paris and use bandages to provide a stiffer stucture. Wait for the plaster to set (10min) and then remove the compound construction.

THE NEGATIVE mould of the vulva is ready. In order to make the positive, pour Plaster of Paris into it (or another material such as: silicone, resin, or wax).

POSITIVE CAST. Carefully remove the cast from the negative mould, and then slowly take out the tube. The external body is ready.

NEGATIVE WITH LATEX. To capture the delicate detail of the labia use latex compounded with fabric strips, backed with a plaster bulk set into a cement box for easy tabletop reproduction. Apply multiple layers of liquid latex adding soaked bandage strips to it, so as to create a thick compound negative mould.

FINAL EXTERNAL BODY. Use the same process with silicone rubber, resin or other material in order to create your positive vulva cast. Paint the positives, using children’s poster paint and experiment with mixing it into the plaster.

TAKE TIME TO EXPLORE TEXTURE AND DETAILS

I

NTERNAL BODY

PIN - HOLE “Pictures thus taken are accurate representations of the object, whether it be line, superficial, or solid, as sees from or through the hole; and if we throw sufficient light upon the object, or make the material which receives the image very sensitive, we should require no other camera fro giving us photographs of all sizes. The only source of error which we can conceive, is that which may arise from the inflection of light, but we believe that it would exercise a small influence, if any, and it is only by experiment that its effect can be ascertained. The Rev. Mr. Egerton and I have obtained photographs of a bust, in the course of ten minutes, with a very faint sun, and through an aperture less than a hundred of an inch; and I have no doubt that when chemistry has furnished us with a material more sensitive to light, a camera without lenses, and with only a pin-hole, will be the favorite instrument of the photographer.”

Sir David Brewser - the first to coin the term : “pinhole”, in his book “The Stereoscope”(1856)

m

aterials

Blood-glucose test-strip containers Blood-test lancet (0,23mm) or sewing needle Sheet metal (from beer can) Black tape/scissors/glue Shutter release mechanism (from old cameras) Tampon string

PROCESS

TUBULAR PLASTIC CONTAINER: take a black container -3cm diameter and 5.2cm high- with a flip-top lid. and make a hole in the bottom with a diameter of at least 5mm.

NEEDLE AND METAL SHEET: With a bloodtest lancet or needle as tool, poke a tiny hole of 0,30mm into some thin sheet metal which you then attach and tape to the base of the container. To calculate the correct pinhole size in respect to focal length see: mrpinhole.com.

SHUTTER RELEASE: Use reclaimed parts from a variety of old cameras with a tampon string attached as shutter release mechanism. Now the pinhole camera can be inserted in the “external body.� As a final step, use the lid as the focal plane for placement (in the dark) of a piece of photosensitive paper. Use a little piece of blutack to make sure that the paper stays attached to the lid. Complete your v(ulv)amera by inserting the internal body in the external body.

CHARACTERISTICS

The V(ulv)amera: I) takes photos from (my) cunt’s-eye-view; II) is designed with the intention of being placed on the vulvar area or at least far away from the face; III) has no adornments or external attachments; IV) has no external signs of change of function as it has no ability to zoom (and therefore penetrate) or to change its focal length or depth of field; V) relies on the fundamental perfection of its hole; VI) doesn’t “shoot” but “reflects”.

PERFORMANCE INSTALLATION

VULVOgraphy : Becoming a camera Photo-performance installation

30th May 2015 19:00-21:00 I LPAC Studio 1 University of Lincoln

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ULVOgraphy

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Photo-performance installation by Fenia Kotsopoulou

30.05.2015 LPAC Studio 1 19:00-21:00 more info: feniak.wix.com/vulvography

F

LYER

VULVOgraphy Becoming a camera A durational photo-performance installation giving light to a provocative approach to and experience of the photographic process.

Boundaries between performance and traditional photography are blurred as the female body becomes a “performative camera” challenging the viewer’s engagement to look and be looked back at.

In order to make an image, you need something more than good lenses.

30 MAY 2015 LPAC Studio 1 // 19:00 - 21:00 Free entrance

18+

P

ROGRAM NOTES

A6 - 16 pages

B

IZ CARDS

9x5cm biz cards in 7 different designs

W

EBSITE Please visit: http://feniak.wix.com/vulvography

“VULVOgraphy: Becoming a camera” is a durational photo-performance installation giving light to a provocative approach to and experience of the photographic process.

The space is designed with the aim of offering the audience a multi-layered experience and understanding of the creative process emerging from my research. By following a linear pathway, the visitors find five stations. Station I: The camera as phallic symbol. Station II: Different points of view. Station III: V(ulv)amera & VULVOgraphy. Station IV: Vulvographs. Station V: Unveiling Each station displays visual traces of the project : video, photographs, vulvographs, artifacts and the resultant prototype - the “V(ulv)amera”.

In the meantime, a live participatory performance takes place, inviting the audience to be a participant in the vulvographic image-making process. *note: for more details, please take a look at the program notes, included in the portfolio.

DOCUMENTATION

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Daz Disley

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo by Alkistis Olympi ou

photo by Fenia Kotsopoulou

photo by Alkistis Olympiou

photo photo

by DazbyDisley Daz Disley

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photo by Fenia Kotsopoulou

photo by Fenia Kotsopoulou

photo photo

by Fenia

by Kotsopoulou Fenia Kotsopoulou

photo by Daz Disley

SPECIAL THANKS TO: ~ My supervisor, Pavlos Kountouriotis for his continued support, encouragment and constructive feedback. ~ Daz Disley and Alkistis Olympiou for documenting the event - with their “phallic� cameras. ~ LPAC Staff for their precious assistance, technical advice and video recording of the event. ~ The audience members who participated in the live action, sitting still for 40 min.

ONE TO MANY ONE TO ONE

O

NE TO “One to many” vulvographic process experiments with multiple subjects who are invited to engage and commit to the realisation of a long exposure photo, which can last up to 30-40min.

The first group photo indoors, took place during the performance installation: “VULVOgraphy: Becoming a camera”.

This occasion offered me the possibility to make an experiment of a vulvographic session with an audience, in a shared performative space. Before taking part, the audience had the chance to first

M

ANY

familiarise themselves with the concept of “VULVOgraphy” throught the five stations of the exhibition and then to decide whether or not to accept my invitation.

Because the vulvographic process was held indoors, the time of exposure was much longer than outdoors.

My focus as researcher was to observe visitors’ reactions to my invitation to sit in front of me, in alignment with the V(ulv)amera and

be still for 40 min to expose the paper.

What element makes someone stay and engage with the process, even when there are slim possibilities for a succesful photo? How long such a commitment can last?

The previous day, I tried to make a test vulvograph, in the installation space, using one one V(ulv)amera to “reflect” another, for 30min. With enough time and appropriate lighting it is possible to “reflect” a definable photo - it depends more on the people than the device.

“cunt to cunt” 29.05.2015 // Studio 1 // 18:30 time of exposure: 30min.

“Seven is a magic number”(group photo) 30.05.2015 // Studio 1 // 19:30 time of exposure: 40min.

T

HOUGHTS

“Culturally, I should be feeling that I am disturbed. But because it is modern era, I don’t feel too distant from it...Except that it was something really new to me because I didn’t experience something like this before.”

Yu Jin

“The image for me, looked like a godess, a female godess that we had to stay there..because we were kneeling, it looked like: Pray to this godess.”

Chai Vivan

“Most Asian would be surprised looking in this naked body, taking photo with this body part. It is a bit like “ Wow, what is that?”...If they don’t know so much about art...they are very conservative people, they can’t really accept something like that ...they would be shocked.”

Chai Vivan

“Sitting still was a challenge, and not only for myself. I’m sure we moved, and duration, situation/ context, and the postures we assumed, made it almost impossible to remain still.”

Andy Benn

“I know of no other situation where 4-5 people would sit, touching each other, to gather themselves to sit still (or attempt to do so), let alone to sit staring at a pin-hole camera, shaped as a vulva, situated between an artist’s legs!”

Andy Benn

“I stared hard at the Vulvocam, and at times lost all sense of other things going on, and then I would notice my knuckles aching, my back muscles stretching like they do not usually do...”

Andy Benn

“ I Immensely enjoyed our little company & shared experience before the vulvamera: jokes, laughs, movements, intimact, touch, change of emotions, curiosity, queries, and lots of commitment. However, commitment to what?... Now, we have a strong, inspiring new piece of equipment. I would like very much to see it in action.

How will people react to it? What is its power? Can it bring changes? And if...so what?”

Alkistis Olympiou

“The reason I stayed so long for the pinhole vulvograph was that I made a commitment to be part of the process, and I intended to fulfill my commitment, and had set aside plenty of time to involve myself in your exhibition. If you had asked that we sit for an hour, that would have been fine, if progressively more uncomfortable for me, and the person who I was leaning on. I am not a fan of half-hearted involvement...”

Andy Benn

O

NE TO

“One to one” refers to the vulvographic process in which only two people take part: the vulvographer and the subject.

The usual location, where the action takes place, is the garden of my home during daytime. The garden offers an intimate and relaxing atmosphere, whilst giving a feeling of being close to nature.

Also, it distracts from the busyness of the city. Because of the level of self-exposure, it is important the Vulvographer creates an inviting, comfortable, and accessible space, so that the subject feels “at home”.

What is the best way to present the V(ulv) amera in a short, precice, concise way, increasing the curiosity of the subject to particpate in the process?

What kind of relationship and dynamics are created during the vulvographic session?

What pose did the subject choose and why? What does s/he think in the 20-25 seconds of exposure?

O How is the face to face interaction during the process experienced by both vulvographer and subject?

After the exposure follows chemical development -in the minimalistic dark room- of the photographic paper in order for the vulvograph to be revealed.

In the meantime the subject has a bit of time for him/herself to digest the unusual experience.

Another experiment I conducted, -after a vulvographic session- was to hand my

NE V(ulv)amera to somene else, giving him/ her the possibility of trying a vulvographic session with a person of his/her choice.

When the new vulvographer brings the V(ulv)amera back, I develop the photo and we then discuss his/her experience.

By giving someone my V(ulv)amera it makes me feel more vulnerable because I have no control anymore regarding to whom and how it is going to be used.

This object is not my cunt but still it is a reflection of my cunt. Therefore, by sharing it with everyone, I share a part of myself.

O

RINTA

4 June 2015 // 13:00 // Garden Time of exposure: 23sec (two attempts) Sunny

Encounter No 11

1st attempt

2nd attempt

t

houghts

“I felt my inside was telling me to ‘lower’ myself, to be absorbed in the experience.

Once you positioned the two chairs, sat infront me in a very vulnerable but also

I felt that I also need to give something back. relaxed & safe position (maybe its the whole feminine part),

The connection of the female body - lower & top part of the participant.

It was actually unique to sit there ... you are very aware of the time of your presence =

strongly submissive & provocatively powerful.”

R

OB

8 June 2015 // 20:20 // Garden / Kitchen Time of exposure: 30sec Cloudy

Encounter No 12

BEFORE

Rob, like Orinta, didn’t know anything about the vulvographic process - I had to therefore introduce him to the V(ulv)amera - these screenshots show his first reactions.

AFTER

After the vulvographic process, Rob writes his thoughts and looks-over vulvographic reflections from the previous sessions and experiments whilst I develop his reflection.

At the end of the session, Rob accepts the proposition to take a V(ulv)amera away to attempt a vulvographic session with a subject of his choice. At the time of writing, this V(ulv)amera is still out in the wild.

Negative

Positive

t

houghts

“I jumped over the fence not knowing what to expect and I’m glad. surreal and enjoyable

A thoroughly experience.

Your camera is not as intrusive as your standard point and shoot!

Whether its the

placement or the long exposure time,

I found myself being drawn in and photographed or my space In fact the opposite.

not at all feeling that I was

being intruded upon.

I felt like I may be intruding on you.”

VULVOGRAPHS

The focus during the vulvographic session is on the physical / emotional experience of both Vulvographer and subject and the relationship between them. At the end of the whole process there is a vulvograph - a negative image on photosensitive paper - approximately 2cm diameter.

After the “reflection”, the vulvograph is developed chemically, in a dark room, following the process of : Develop ... Stop ... Fix. The vulvograph is more than just a visual trace. It captures the subject’s “reflection” in front of the V(ulv)amera, displaying not just a fraction of time, but a passage of time shared during the exposure.

Even when it comes out as an “over” or “under” exposed image, both Vulvographer and subject know that this small piece of paper with indefinable forms contains all the details of a shared experience.

s

amples

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

G

during this adventurous

My deep and sincere

ratitude to all the amazing people who,

VULVOgraphic Journey, stood by me,

supported me by all means, tolerated my crisis, cries and moments of frustration,

encouraged me,

assisted and helped me to the construction of the V(ulv)amera gave me constructive

feedback,

inspired me,

let themselves be “reflected� by my vulva, contributing in a unique way to the development of the VULVOgraphy project. ... this was just the start ... the Journey continues

!

T

hanks

especially to: Pavlos Kountouriotis Daz Disley Alkistis Olympiou Julia Metzger-Traber Kostis Kotsopoulos Dimitra Kotsopoulou Aywlyn Walsh Kayla Bowtell Jenny Church Faye Johnson Katerina Giannoula Karolina Szewczyk Lauren Mills Andy Benn Orinta Pranaityte Rob Lloyd