w/holes : the space between sides : an exegesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the postgraduate degree of Master of Fine Arts at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

W/holes: The Space Between Sides is a practise-based research project completed during a two-year Master of Fine Arts qualification. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the outputs of this creative practise include textiles, wearable sculptures, live art, video performance, digital collage, and projected moving image. Beginning with the body as the site for these investigations, the work explores embodied experiences and the tension between the tangible and intangible matter of bodies. This project also examines the fluid and shifting nature of bodily boundaries and identities, informed by Julia Kristeva’s writings on abjection. Moving outward, the investigation then considers the body’s relationships to other bodies, materials, objects, and technologies, framed by the principles of affect and phenomenology.