Dissertation Report: Transformation Through Body Sculpture

By Marly Baker

Intro

This research report details resources accessed to date, supporting an exploration of ways in which artists use body sculpture to embody transformation. Body sculpture, is a piece of sculpture which is worn by the artist or a performer. It can extenuate already existing bodily features, or can create entirely new ones. The body adornment can be worn in both a static sense, or can induce movement whilst on the body. I propose to examine this area of practice through the lens’ of queer theory and shamanism. It is the connection between these two concepts that will take centre stage in my dissertation.

These resources primarily support and expand my critical thinking, in terms of artwork, with particular reference to the art practice of Nick Cave, Rebecca Horn and Matthew Barney. Delving into the possible queer ideology behind the work of these artists, will grant access to understanding their goal to push against the norms of so called ‘normal society’ and create a space for an idea of ‘otherness’1. The second key focus point of this report is - the historical and contemporary practice of shamanism, as another approach to bodily transformation. With the intention to heal and/or change the reality experienced by others and the transformation of one’s self, the artist’s self.

This initial theoretical groundwork allows me to build and expand upon my understanding of these artists and theories detailed above, whilst also interrogating my own studio practice.

Report

Shamanism Shamanism is a ancient, transformative spiritual practice. A shaman believes everything in this world consists of a spiritual essence and was the link between our world and the spirit

1 Illinois Library, Illinois Library (2020) [Assessed 31st March 2021]. world that provided people meaning in life, and how they navigated within the world. The idea of the shaman was to provide this physical link between the two worlds, one world spoke to the next through this selected person. The role, practised and performed through an array of metaphysical ceremonies and healing experiences.2 Now in Western society, the ritual of shamanism has been obliterated and no longer exists in the same way as it did in our ancestors’ time. The rise of capitalism, caused such spirituality and mystic connection to become a threat to this new socio-political construct, therefore was exiled quickly out of our society, and we lost touch with our connection to the spiritual realm. However, this is not the case for the whole of the present day world, “In most contemporary non-Western cultures, some form of shamanism (however marginalized) has always remained.” 3. The modern day West, now turns to creatives, such as artists, to create a replacement connection to the idea of an ‘other worldly’ experience. The artist, now becomes a modern day version of the sacred shaman. Artist Joseph Beuys, known in art history as “the most famous neo-shaman” 4, he created performances, ceremonial like, using power-driven material to aid his performance to heal these external negative forces he identified in the world. 5 One such works, was that of ‘I like America and America Likes me’.6 Beuys obtained solid faith in art’s healing powers, and believed in his own ability to repair, what he deemed broken. Similarly, Louise Bourgeois body of work inhabited the concept of healing. Her process through creating, enabled her own self-healing, allowing her to overcome her past

2 Dr. Louis Langanà, The Artist-Shaman and Privitivism (2010) [Assessed 2nd April 2021] 3 David Levi Strauss, American Beuys "I Like America & America Likes Me" (1990) < http://www.neugraphic.com/beuys/beuys-text2.html> [Assessed 3rd April 2021]

4 David Levi Strauss, American Beuys "I Like America & America Likes Me" (1990) < http://www.neugraphic.com/beuys/beuys-text2.html> [Assessed 3rd April 2021]

5 Tess Thackara, Why Shamanic Practices Are Making a Comeback in Contemporary Art (2017) https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-shamanic-practices-making-comeback- contemporary-art [assessed 2nd April 2021]

6 David Levi Strauss, American Beuys "I Like America & America Likes Me" (1990) < http://www.neugraphic.com/beuys/beuys-text2.html> [Assessed 3rd April 2021] traumas in life. She had a ritualistic relationship with drawing, allowing her to physically create and release pent up emotion.7 I will research the role of transformation in shamanistic rituals and use this knowledge to examine the work of contemporary artists working with transformation through body sculpture.

Queer Theory Queer theory derives from many dominant theories, such as; “feminism, post- structuralist theory, radical movements of people of colour, the gay and lesbian movements, AIDS activism, many sexual subcultural practices such as sadomasochism. It wasn’t until the 1980s - when protestors retaliated against the Government, due to their absolute absence of care and support towards the AIDS epidemic – did the ideology of Queer theory, start to get it’s deserved recognition in the UK. Protest groups took power into their own hands, in order to fight for their human rights. This shone a light upon these minority groups, and in doing so, helped interpret what a “non-normative option to the more traditional identity politics and marginal group creations” 8 was. In the 1990s, a newer version of queer theory was founded, it paved the way for ideas of non-conformity to the normal, there was more out there, more possibility in terms of identity, sexuality and gender. It was to challenge the idea of ‘normal’ that society had created, and to uproot binaries in order to abolish discrimination and injustice.9 Heteronormativity is a phrase encapsulating the way in which our lives are solely centred around heterosexuality being the ‘right’ way.10 It is engrained into us from the very start of our lives that this is the

7 Nadja Sayej, Inside the ‘healing’ Louise Bourgeois exhibition you can experience online (2020) [Assessed 3rd April 2020]

8 Illinois Library, Illinois Library (2020) [Assessed 31st March 2021].

9 Illinois Library, Illinois Library (2020) [Assessed 31st March 2021].

10 Lauren Berlant and Michael Warner, 'Sex in Public', Critical Enquiry, 24. 02 (1998), 547- 566 (p. 548).

‘normal’. To go against this or any other kind of normal? You are met with questions and interrogation as to where you belong, where you fit into this world. A completely constructed authority, creating tension and limiting “both straight and gay individuals, through institutional arrangements and accepted social norms”. 11 To be heteronormative, at the end of the day, is to have a privilege. A privilege, most heterosexuals might even be blissfully unaware of.12 The queer community ask not to be embraced by society, but to reject social and political systems of segregation and removal that create this standardized norm.13

Queerness challenges the defined categories of the ordinary14, and it creates a space for the idea of something ‘other’. Artists such as Orlan, use physical transformation in order to pose questions upon societies norm. In one of her works, she went through a series of plastic surgeries in order to alternate herself into an amalgam of women’s faces from some of the most prestigious historic artworks in the world. This was to enable her to create the ‘perfect’ look, inspired by these women. 15 In doing such extreme bodily transformations, she wanted to query humanity’s issues, in particular relation to the body, being a woman and female creative in today’s society.16 In the 1990s, Derek Jarman paved the way for

11 Illinois Library, Illinois Library (2020) [Assessed 31st March 2021].

12 Lauren Berlant and Michael Warner, 'Sex in Public', Critical Enquiry, 24. 02 (1998), 547-566 (p. 548).

13 David J. Getsy, Queer, Documents of Contemporary Art (London: Whitechapel Gallery and The MIT Press, 2016), p. 13.

14 Annamarie Jagose, Queer Theory, Vol 5, (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005), in New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, [4th April 2021], p. 1980.

15 Carey Lovelace, 'Orland: Offensive Acts', Performing Arts Journal, vol. 17. no. 01 (1995), 13-25 (p.13), https://www.jstor.org/stable/3245692?seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents [assessed 4th April 2021]

16 CLOT, ORLAN, beyond any conception of the body (2019) [4th April 2021]. Queer Cinema with his rich cinematography.17 His work continually, brings historical queer characters back to life. Jarman bases his artworks around how these peoples used to live their lives, in order to educate about existing in a world of catastrophe. By using a queer lens, he creates a space to educate people and “demand social change”. 18 The body sculpture practice of the artists I am researching has a strong resonance with concepts such as ‘otherness’, ‘outsiders’ and human rights. By learning about queer theory, I hope to better understand the way these artists direct their art towards drawing the viewer into this conceptual territory.

Focused Artists

Matthew Barney Matthew Barney creates fantastical fantasy art movies, where he transforms himself into characters, in order to underline deeper issues within the current world. One of his best known works, is the series of movies, ‘The Cremaster Cycle’. To give some background to this work, “the “cremaster” is the muscle that controls the ascent and descent of the testes in relation to external, environmental stimuli. The “cycle” of Barney's title draws attention to questions concerning a life, both of the individual, and of the species”.19 In his creation, Barney is questioning the stereotypical idea of what it is to be a man, to be ‘manly’. He tries to diminish this paradigm society has been stuck to for so long, and show a visual representation of how men have to navigate through these unforgiving surroundings. 20 In

17 Niall Richardson, The Queer Cinema or Derek Jarman, (London: I. B. Tauris, 2009), Blurb.

18 Alexandra Parsons, 'History, Activisom, and the Queer Child in Derek Jarman's Queer Edward II', Shakeseare Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 3, (1991), 413-428 [assessed 4th April 2021]

19 Hélène Frichot, 'MATTHEW BARNY'S CREMASTER CYCLE REVISITED, Journal of Theoretical Humanities, Vol 20. Is. 1, (2015), 55-67, < https://www-tandfonline- com.libezproxy.dundee.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1080/0969725X.2015.1017376> [assessed 4th April 2021]

20 Hélène Frichot, 'MATTHEW BARNY'S CREMASTER CYCLE REVISITED, Journal of Theoretical Humanities, Vol 20. Is. 1, (2015), 55-67, < https://www-tandfonline- this process, he starts to readjust and alter himself into something new and reimagined. Something ‘other’.

Rebecca Horn Rebecca Horn creating extensions of herself, her wearable sculptures causing new experiences. She builds sculptures based around her own previous bodily experiences, to initiate new ones.21 After becoming gravely ill and bed bound for almost a year, Horn acclimatized to her new surroundings, and in doing so she adjusted to a new way in which she could create art. Heavily using reference to the body, she started to create body adornments exaggerating and elongating the human form. 22 ‘Unicorn’, one of her most famous body sculptures, followed the journey of a woman, with Horn’s created giant horn attached to her head.23 A ritualistic walk began to happen, walking while wearing the sculpture, she started to readjust and alter herself into something new and reimagined. Something ‘other.

Nick Cave Creating a voice for the unheard, is at the centre point within Nick Cave’s artworks. Creating a plethora of visual divergence, in order for people to perceive things in a new light. His ‘Soundsuits’ sculptures disguise a person, removing their previous identity, race or social class. This allows the audience to look at the work with no previous misconceptions, it creates a space of ‘newness’ and transformation. The suits “play on our psyche, how we see

com.libezproxy.dundee.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1080/0969725X.2015.1017376> [assessed 4th April 2021]

21 Jannette Winterson, The Bionic Woman (2005) [4th April 2021].

22 Adélie Le Guen, The Metamorphoses of Rebecca Horn: Between Dreaminess, Spirituality, and Surrealism (2019 [5th April 2021].

23 Jannette Winterson, The Bionic Woman (2005) [4th April 2021]. ourselves in the world, how do we confront ourselves of things are unfamiliar and look different.”24 Whilst this makes an impact on the viewer, each piece also creates a metamorphosis for the performers wearing the suit. As they put on the suit, Cave tells them to let go of what they were before, and become ready to embark on this shift which is about to take place. They are no longer the same person they were before they stepped into the suit25, they start to readjust and alter themselves into something new and reimagined. Something ‘other’.

Conclusion

From the research gathered so far, it is clear to see the strong ideas of transformation through the theories of shamanism and queer theory within the work of several different contemporary artists. Shamanic practises through art, creates an ‘other worldly’ experience for people, which has been lost in the West due to the rise of empirical science and capitalist society. The artist has taken over the role of the shaman, constructing their art in order to transform not only themselves, but society as a whole. Artists such as Joseph Beuys and Louise Bourgeois, have both in their own right, created shamanistic qualities within their work, throughout their careers. Beuys created rituals in order to rid bad from the world. Whereas Louise, used her art as a way of ridding her own demons. Queerness allows people who don’t fit the so called ‘norm’ to gain a rightful place and recognition, to stand up for whatever and whoever they are. They rebel against the standardization of heteronormativity, and allow a new space for ‘otherness’. Artist Orlan, used herself as canvas to question social issues within the world especially those of bodily issues. Derek

24 Nick Cave, interviewed by Sasha Kalter Wasserman, 8th March 2021.

25 Nick Cave, interviewed by Sasha Kalter Wasserman, 8th March 2021.

Jarman too, wanted to raised questions and awareness about the rights of the Queer community. In doing so he used historic figures within this cinematography, in order to educate society and insist on change. Enquiring into the work of Matthew Barney, Rebecca Horn and Nick Cave, has allowed a brief insight into their practise. There can be seen elements of creating new spaces, a space for the idea of ‘newness’ and ‘otherness’ to exist. It can also be seen, how each of their artworks contribute, in one way or another, to the idea of transformation, through queer theory and shamanism concepts.

I would like to expand further into these theories, and artists practises. By researching further into the history of shamanism, ways in which it is practised today, and to gain more knowledge into different artists who use the role of the shaman within their practise. Delving deeper into queer theory, will allow me to gain a more in depth awareness of the movements beginnings, how queer is perceived in the 21st century and the way queerness has so heavily threaded itself through artists ideas and artworks. The main focus however, will be looking more closely at Matthew Barney, Rebecca Horn and Nick Cave’s work, alongside an array of other artists. To find this profound element, running through all their works, to truly understand and recognise the basis of all their ideas in the creation of transformation through body sculpture.

Bibliography

Berlant, Lauren, and Michael Warner, 'Sex in Public', Critical Enquiry, 24. 02 (1998), 547-566

Cave, Nick, interviewed by Sasha Kalter Wasserman, 8th March 2021.

CLOT, ORLAN, beyond any conception of the body (2019) [4th April 2021].

Getsy, J. David, Queer, Documents of Contemporary Art (London: Whitechapel Gallery and The MIT Press, 2016), p. 13.

Guen, Le Adélie The Metamorphoses of Rebecca Horn: Between Dreaminess, Spirituality, and Surrealism (2019 [5th April 2021].

Illinois Library, Illinois Library (2020) [Assessed 31st of March 2021]

Jagose, Annamarie, Queer Theory, Vol 5, (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005), in New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, [4th April 2021]

Langanà, Louis Dr. ,The Artist-Shaman and Privitism (2010) [Assessed 2nd April 2021]

Lovelace, Carey, 'Orland: Offensive Acts', Performing Arts Journal, vol. 17. no. 01 (1995), 13- 25 (p.13), < https://www.jstor.org/stable/3245692?seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents> [assessed 4th April 2021]

Parsons, Alexandra, 'History, Activisom, and the Queer Child in Derek Jarman's Queer Edward II', Shakeseare Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 3, (1991), 413-428 [assessed 4th April 2021]

Sayej, Nadja, Inside the ‘healing’ Louise Bourgeois exhibition you can experience online (2020) [Assessed 3rd April 2020]

Strauss, Levi David, American Beuys "I Like America & America Likes Me" (1990) [Assessed 3rd April 2021]

Thackara , Tess, Why Shamanic Practices Are Making a Comeback in Contemporary Art (2017) [Assessed 2nd April 2021]

Winterson, Jannette, The Bionic Woman (2005) [4th April 2021].