The University of New South Whales College of Fine Arts School of Art Masters of Fine Arts by Research 2011 I’m Worth My Weight In Gold Candidate: Jodie Whalen Supervisor: Sylvia Ross 1 PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Whalen First name: Jodie Other name/s: Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: MFA School: School of Fine Art Faculty: Sculpture, Performance and Instillation Title: I’m Worth My Weight In Gold Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE I’m Worth My Weight In Gold is the examination of gendered social conditioning from the female perspective, addressing ideas of beauty, body image and how these in turn create notions of self and identity within a contemporary Western context. During the last decade of the twentieth century, issues of personal identity and self‐image and how identity is constructed, came to the forefront of cultural commentary. I’m Worth My Weight In Gold explores not only this concept in relation to the individual and the realm of beauty but looks at the ways in which artists construct or re construct their biographies to ask questions about social conditioning and limitations. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……….……………………...…….… Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: THIS SHEET IS TO BE GLUED TO THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE THESIS ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date ……………………………………………................. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date …………………………………………….............................. AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... Contents Introduction. 3 Chapter One. 8 Chapter Two. 26 Chapter Three. 58 Conclusion. 75 Bibliography. 79 Plate Bibliography. 81 2 INTRODUCTION 3 The research undertaken during the BFA Honours program was Dressage, 2005 which explored the historical background of mans’ relationship with the horse, particularly the two principal methods of conditioning a horse for domestication. One method is based in the notion of trust and advanced communication, the other principled in fear and punishment. From this investigation I was able to draw parallels between the way we domesticate horses physically and how social conditioning has assigned the genders certain power roles and levels of responsibility. In most cases the woman is reserved the subservient role, where she yields to the pressures placed upon her to act according to the preconceived limits of her gender. The work Dressage, was created from the viewpoint of a heterosexual female. It was based on my personal knowledge and experience of intimacy, sex and relationships and to branch out and speak about other avenues of sexuality and sexual dynamics would not have been authentic. This said, the concepts and the aesthetics of the work transcend many forms of relations, as people can act similarly no matter what their sexual orientation. In this work I explored the ‘art’ of conditioning, whether that is the conditioning of another creature for human need, desire or advancement. The breaking in of horses, and the many methods explored, are identifiable with the concept of conditioning, as it is primarily a physical process. In the work the material objects of horse tack were transformed by casting these forms and changing the medium to toffee. The role toffee as a medium plays is to turn the objects from nasty into whimsical as their physical constraint has been removed and they can no longer be used as devices for conditioning 4 or discipline. The toffee was also powerful as a medium by representing notions of sex, licking sucking and gorging. It also represents the domestic role of a woman, cooking for the pleasure of her children (which in turn is meant to bring pleasure to her) or of being tied to the kitchen and, so therefore, to the bedroom. Dressage sought to create a discourse surrounding the apprehension of desire, our means of obtaining what we desire and the conditioning of our desire, sexuality, gender roles, power and the fetishised archetypal object. I’m Worth My Weight In Gold, the project undertaken for my Masters of Research degree, re examined some of the issues explored in Dressage. The most concurrent is the examination of social conditioning, but here it is gender specific in terms of the assignment of roles and sexuality. I’m Worth My Weight In Gold is gendered from a female perspective but addresses ideas of beauty, body image and how these in turn create notions of self and identity. This research focuses on ‘beauty’ as a characteristic of a person within a contemporary Western context, and from a distinctly female point of view. An ‘ideal beauty’ is seen to be one who possesses features widely attributed to beauty in a particular culture and society. By examining beauty primarily in the context of weight loss and the booming plastic surgery industries of the Western world, I will argue that ‘beauty’ is essentially an illusion that can almost never be attained as it tends to be based on characteristics that only a tiny percentage of the population possesses, and weight loss companies and beauty products make the process of obtaining beauty even more difficult as essentially they fail to create long term ‘solutions’. 5 During the last decades of the twentieth century, issues of personal identity and self- image, and how identity is constructed and understood, came to the forefront of cultural commentary. The invention of self has cultural consensus in contemporary Western society. I’m Worth My Weight In Gold explores not only this concept in relation to the individual and the realm of beauty but looks at the ways in which artists construct or re construct their biographies to ask questions about social conditioning and limitations. Artists such as Orlan, Gilbert and George and Anastasia Klose, do so through many varying types of medium that include Performance art and in term the documentary media of video. I’m Worth My Weight In Gold started with a comment thrown at me about my physical appearance that made me wonder how others perceived me and as a consequence how I perceived myself in relation to my body size and shape. At the conception of the work, my idea was to push the extremes of my body’s capabilities and physicality. By taking it from one place, overweight and ‘unacceptable’ to the other end of the spectrum underweight, yet I could not determine whether or not that would be deemed ‘acceptable’ or not. This makes the work for the viewer both compelling and elusive as its inherent nature engages the audience with how my identity is represented and perceived, as well as influenced by my status and gender as I use the work to demonstrate my artistic role and place in society.