Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Filters

2004 - 200912010 - 20172

Settings

Subject: search.filters.subject.Women in art

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Trick of the light
    (Massey University, 2004) Dudding, Kathy
    Trick of the Light is a video installation essay that relates the story of the incubus in the form of a multiple screen and sound installation. Research into the topic of the incubus as it has been represented in art and film, both historical and contemporary, reveals that in the main these works have been from the male perspective. Trick of the Light endeavours to put forward a viewpoint of the incubus experience with regard to female sexuality and subjectivity. In 'The Haunting', I will relate the connection between the incubus and the monstrous-feminine, concentrating first on three key historical paintings: The Nightmare (Henri Fuseli, 1781), Danaë (Rembrandt, 1636), Danaë (Gustav Klimt, 1907). I will follow an analysis of these three paintings with an examination of two cinematic works that pertain to the incubus: Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968), The Entity (Sidney J. Furie, 1985). These works will be surveyed in the context of the monstrous-feminine. 'Crotch' will look at woman artists who have sought to counter negative attitudes towards women with regard to sexuality. The performance art of woman working in the 1960/70s – Valie Export, Hannah Wilke, Carolee Schneemann – will be examined in relation to their highlighting of the female sexual part. I will follow with a comparison of contemporary woman artists working in this subject area: Tracey Emin and Zoe Leonard. A number of woman feature filmmakers who have also addressed women's sexuality will be studied in 'Touch'. In today's era of post-Mulveyism, in the hands of the woman director the gaze is female. While directors such as Jane Campion have eroticized sex on screen, others such as Catherine Breillat have maintained a natural aesthetic not dissimilar to pornography. Here I also introduce Laura U. Mark's notion of 'haptic cinema' and relate it to my own concept of film-ecriture feminine. 'Body Cuts' will foreground the recent phenomena of film and video moving into the gallery space, and the resultant changed relationship of the viewer with such works. Peter Greenaway's idea of the audience performing the editing will be examined here. I look at the work of Eija-Liisa Ahtila as an example of an artist/filmmaker working in both the gallery and the cinema. Artist Pipilotti Rist's video installation work Sip My Ocean will be looked at in relation to film-ecriture feminine. I will also use her work to introduce a premise for the spatiality of eroticism and the relationship of woman's sexuality and architectural space. 'A Bedtime Story' tracks Trick of the Light from its genesis to its resolution. I explain the process of creating the work, and talk about the separate pieces – Incubus Drawing, These Lips, Condensation, Spirit Photography, Sink Scene, Skeptic/Spiritualist- in relation to the depiction of women's sexuality in art, film-ecriture feminine, sexuality in space, and the video installation essay. [From Introduction]
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    He Wāhine, He Tapu = The Sanctity of Women : an exhibition report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Māori Visual Arts at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Wilson, Janelle
    This report contextualises the exhibition, He Wāhine, He Tapu. My research into puhi (chief’s daughter) and mana wāhine (women of status), along with the methodology and practice which produced this exhibition is discussed. The literature review covers the status of Puhi and other female leaders in traditional Māori society, in particular, the sacredness of the whare tangata (house of humankind, or womb), linking wāhine (Māori women) to the atua wāhine (goddesses) of Māori creation stories. This body of work explores notions of tapu (sacred or restricted) and noa (normal or free from restriction), identity, the complementary nature of the sexes in traditional society and the impact of colonisation. The underpinning questions are; who is the puhi? What role did she play? What makes her special? And where is she today? The review of artists examines the history of portraiture and early photography, particularly that of Māori, as well as links to contemporary artists working in this genre. I have used Manawa Kāi Tahu, a cultural, social, environmental and economical framework as a tool for the analytical component, grounding this practice in Māori philosophy, values and tikanga (protocol), and locating this work as culturally relevant within Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view). The six values are – Tohutanga (capability and development), Rangatiratanga (self-determination and upholding the integrity of others), Kaitiakitanga (stewardship and enhancing resources), Manaakitanga (hospitality, health and safety and wellbeing of self and others), and Whanaungatanga (kinship and communication). The exhibition is also positioned within He Tātaitanga Kaupapa āhua toi; a Māori art continuum (Jahnke 2006), using the classes of customary, non- customary and trans-customary art. How this body of work aligns with the categories of noncustomary and trans-customary is also discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    On being formed : a self-reflexive view of the subjective body : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at the College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) George, Robyn; George, Robyn
    In on being formed: a self-reflexive view of the subjective body I investigate and contest appearance politics as they relate to the overweight, aging, female body. Referencing contemporary artists who confront Western society’s construct of the body, I show that art can play a crucial part in challenging cultural systems that create boundaries between differing bodies. These social systems denote bodies that meet their construct of an ideal body as preferred, and others (such as the overweight) as non-preferred. I argue that society exerts power over the overweight person through panoptic surveillance, and that female attractiveness norms serve as a form of social control through which those whose bodies fall outside of socially constructed ideals are marginalised and stigmatised. I consider how overweight people absorb the affect of social judgement, often resulting in debilitating shame and social isolation. Through the genres of performance, sculpture and installation, I use a body of visual art to draw metaphors with female aging and appearance, a crucial issue that is often overlooked in contemporary art. I seek to confuse the signification of beauty and disgust through my aesthetically alluring sculptures made from a repugnant material, suggesting that there is a space between beauty and disgust which can be occupied by those with non-preferred bodies. Drawing on intimate autobiographical source material, I perform a limited-duration installation from my embodied experience as an overweight aging woman. This personal engagement, which provides authenticity and emphasises subjectivity, has resulted in meaningful personal transformation, and has affirmed the powerful role art plays in investigating and recasting corporeality.