Through performances, videos and wearable objects, I overlap icons of female sexuality in order to create a new space of uncertainty and interest. I often use humor and sarcasm as an entry point into issues of gender, power and class. I am interested in the language and imagery of advertising specifically for products designed to fix women’s problems and alter women’s bodies. Much of my work uses these products in ways other than intended. This piece, “Absolute Control,” is part of a series in which I layer undergarments and clothing to amplify their purpose and to strategically hide and reveal my own body.

In “Absolute Control,” I layer piece after piece of different cuts and styles of Spanx (also known as “shapewear”) and control top hosiery, creating a tightly bound, nearly full-body corset. As the piece continues, it becomes more difficult to move and to breathe. Layering the restricting garments does not create a shapelier or smoother look, as promised or normally desired, but creates a bumpy and segmented figure. At the end of the piece, I remove the garments.