Julia Fenton      

My primary interests are in the subtle, shifting characteristics in language and culture that set up power inequalities relating to apperceptions of gender.  Some of these inequalities are set at the beginnings of cognition, particularly those taboos associated with productions of the body.  Male productions – sweat, blood, urine, feces, semen – are generally value neutral.  Female productions – sweat, menstrual blood, urine, feces, milk – are still, in our culture, treated as dangerous, if not actually as taboo.  I’ve taken female body fluids and in the simplest possible way given them form and positive value as beautiful objects (rectangular pieces of papier maché rimmed with gold).

Note:  Having what I think is an interesting sense of humor as well as a dedication to the value of process in forming meanings, I mixed the papier mache in a kitchen blender and baked the pieces on cookie sheets in my oven.