my cock relational installation and painting
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'my cock' isn't what it seems. It is an exercise in our use of language. We use words so much we often forget that they only represent an idea or object - they are not actually the thing. The work itself is a painting, an arrangement of letters that not only spell the words ' my cock', but are assembled in a way that pictorially represents male genitalia - a schoolboy pictogram. It definitely is not an image of my cock. |
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Armed with the same image on my phone, I petitioned a number of people for a photograph with them holding it.
Invariably when asked what they were doing they said, "I'm holding your cock". To which I replied, "No . . . you're holding 'my cock' - because that's what it says". When asked a second time what they were doing they replied, "I am holding 'my cock'". This raises particular issues when the participant is female. Is there a difference? Could it be argued that when a woman is holding 'my cock' she is in fact holding 'her cock' having taken ownership of it from the use of the word 'my'? Does involving women in what is predominantly schoolboy humour and male display dispel the myth of 'penis envy'? Is it possible that 'my cock' is a pro-feminist artwork that empowers women and challenges the persistence of machismo, toxic masculinity and, ultimately, patriarchal hegemony itself?
Invariably when asked what they were doing they said, "I'm holding your cock". To which I replied, "No . . . you're holding 'my cock' - because that's what it says". When asked a second time what they were doing they replied, "I am holding 'my cock'". This raises particular issues when the participant is female. Is there a difference? Could it be argued that when a woman is holding 'my cock' she is in fact holding 'her cock' having taken ownership of it from the use of the word 'my'? Does involving women in what is predominantly schoolboy humour and male display dispel the myth of 'penis envy'? Is it possible that 'my cock' is a pro-feminist artwork that empowers women and challenges the persistence of machismo, toxic masculinity and, ultimately, patriarchal hegemony itself?
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Despite this object being a mobile phone, there was a notable difference between masculine and feminine handling of 'my cock'. The male participants were much more confident and some joined in with a perceived 'laddish' aspect of the project. |
Female participants, on the other hand, often held 'my cock' well away from their bodies.
The title 'my cock' also lent itself very well to the exhibition process. I was able to enter 'my cock' into The Workplace Exhibition 2017 for which I made an advertising video
And a big thank you to everyone who held 'my cock' - it was an interesting experience.
The title 'my cock' also lent itself very well to the exhibition process. I was able to enter 'my cock' into The Workplace Exhibition 2017 for which I made an advertising video
And a big thank you to everyone who held 'my cock' - it was an interesting experience.