‘Dissecting Objects
I often find myself in challenging debates about gender, struggling to navigate the complexities of roles and expectations. This objectual inquiry stems from my curiosity about how gender is constructed and perceived. The most highly charged gendered object I could think of is a football—an object that I always had a difficult relationship with.
I chose to interrogate its gender identity, hoping to surface new meanings in the ongoing gender discourse and what it means to me. What happens when the air, meant to be trapped inside, is released? How does the object change? What happens to its masculinity? What does it become in its deflated state? Through this exploration, I aim to challenge assumptions and uncover deeper insights into the fluidity of gender itself.
The surgical tools embody the practice of dissection objects as a form of critical artistic inquiry. This method is grounded in a deconstructivist approach, where the artist goes beyond the surface of the object to examine its deeper layers—material, historical, symbolic, and cultural (Derrida, 1976). Such an approach is deeply informed by the philosophical and artistic traditions that challenge traditional readings of objects and meaning, particularly in the context of post-structuralism (Barthes, 1977; Foucault, 1980).
By peeling back the layers of objects, this artistic practice seeks to uncover hidden narratives and histories that have often been marginalized or erased. It calls into question the dominant interpretations and the assumptions embedded in the object’s original context or cultural use (Benjamin, 1936). In this regard, the process engages with ideas from both archeological and anthropological readings of material culture (Gell, 1998), where objects are seen not just as passive, static entities but as active participants in the construction of meaning and identity.
Moreover, this practice opens space for new interpretations, offering a critique of the seemingly stable and fixed meanings attributed to everyday objects. It challenges the viewer to reconsider what is perceived as familiar, thereby engaging critically with the object’s deeper, often obscured significance (Latour, 2005). Through this engagement, the artwork invites a rethinking of power, agency, and the politics of representation within the material world.
References:
Barthes, R. (1977).Image-Music-Text. Hill and Wang.
Benjamin, W. (1936). The Work of Art in the Age of mechanical reproduction. Schocken Books.
Derrida, J. (1976). Of Grammatology. John Hopkins University Press.
Foucault, M. (1980).The Archeology of Knowledge. Pantheon Books.
Gell, A. (1998). Art and Agency. An Anthropological Theory. Clarendon Press.
Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the Social: An introduction to Actor-Network Theory.Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory. Oxford University Press.