Heidi Holmes
Unbecoming A Body
2021
Water, heat, broccoli, lemon, white vinegar, adzuki beans, stainless steel pots, water bath, portable induction cooktops, pot grime, goats milk soap, rope, polished stone, horse hair, adhesive, Vaseline, underwear, latex, St John’s Wort, extraction fan, looping audio, gel lighting filter.
MFA Studio, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
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The (w)hole is greater than the sum of its parts: A vagina responds to the artwork, ‘Unbecoming a Body’
To set the tone for the vagina to undertake this analysis, I’d like to formally re-introduce the reader to its environment and conditions. The vagina exists within a female body (1) in the lower abdomen of the trunk, parallel to the rectum and anus and amongst a set of reproductive organs. Several layers of administrative structure manage this reproductive environment, the human brain being at the hierarchical control-centre. Whilst the brain oversees principal command of vaginal decision-making, several other layers of management exist in a tiered and sometimes, rhizomic system. Sexual desire and heart pangs are two such determining systems and though the brain may overrule certain actions inspired by these drives, the vagina has autonomy to act on these energies if the want is abundant. Another sub-layer of vaginal management includes the well being of the human body. As the vagina exists within this corporeal community, its health and sustenance rely on the successful management of the system; neglect may result in unbalanced PH levels causing sickness and subsequent loss of vagina’s agency.
Decision-making forces that impact the vagina’s ability to act autonomously also exist outside of the human body. These may include the lunar calendar (cycles, menstruation, hormones), the physiological environment of the vagina and it’s body (weather, natural resources, geography) and the human race in general with its cultures, structures (gynocentric or phallocentric) and conventions (laws, traditions) (2). In consideration of these systems, let us clarify that in terms of decision-making, the vagina acts in part for itself, but also with respect to the state of its expanded community. With this cognizance, the vagina will always refer to itself as ‘we’ and will always defer to it’s ‘we’.
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A vagina responds to the artwork, ‘Unbecoming a Body’
Are we this?
Feelsssslpt big.
Do we feel like this?
Mmmptf fa.
.
.
Wet is from before, now dry.
Feel wet, still dry.
Wetdry.
Do we like?
.
….Hhhot, hot mmmptd, hot
Are we?
.
.
Is there care here?
Where pleasurrre?
Onlyeeeeee hurt?
.
Feel, feel warm.
We feel support?
Sptff.
.
.
.
Something else is here.
Feel unbalanced.
Do we like this?
Mmnptf.
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(The artist responds to a vagina responding to the artwork, Unbecoming a Body. “I’m a little disappointed at the vagina’s inability to articulate itself more generously. Why is the vagina calling for a chorus? Can it not act on its own? I thought vaginas were feminists? I feel dissatisfied. I truly thought vaginas were the audience for this work. Obviously, I was wrong.”)
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Footnotes:
1. This generalization has been determined for the purpose of this one piece of text - all kinds of bodies can contain vaginas, neo-vaginas or front holes.
2. The bodily governing of the neo-vagina and front hole might also somewhat reflect the bodily governing experience of the cis-vagina, however I would like to mention here that the external governing forces are even more complex for non-cis bodies.
References:
‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts’, is an abridged reference attributed to Aristotle’s, Metaphysics.
Front hole references accessed 12th March 2021: https://www.healthline.com/health/lgbtqia-safe-sex-guide https://aeon.co/essays/why-trans-inclusive-language-is-no-threat-to-cis-women