Small Acts of Violence (242,740)
Small Acts of Violence (242,740)| 2018
Large Site Specific Instructional Performance resulting in Wall Based Work
Large Site Specific Instructional Performance resulting in Wall Based Work
Small Acts of Violence is an act of resistance disguised in visual terms by aesthetic minimalism.
The language of women is censored in the same way that she has historically been excluded from the tools and skill sets of construction. Rachel Ara uses her background in computer programming to recreate the text of Valerie Solanas into binary punch code. The code is then beaten, using the simplest of tools, a spike and a hammer, into the the fabric of the building, piercing the walls like skin. The invisibility of the meaning of the text mirrors the way male violence, perpetrated against women, has been kept hidden.
The recent #metoo and #TIMESUP campaigns have made visible the pervasive nature of misogyny and the repercussions it has had and continues to have on society. Women’s resistance has rarely manifested in acts of violence or grand gestures. These small acts, of puncturing the wall 242,740 times, celebrate weak resistance where strength is found in repetition and deliberate thoughtful progress. The gallery wall becomes a site of reflection. What is beaten into it is Solanas’s call to action, each small act of violence, is an account of the violence women suffer and reaffirms the changes that need to be made.
The language of women is censored in the same way that she has historically been excluded from the tools and skill sets of construction. Rachel Ara uses her background in computer programming to recreate the text of Valerie Solanas into binary punch code. The code is then beaten, using the simplest of tools, a spike and a hammer, into the the fabric of the building, piercing the walls like skin. The invisibility of the meaning of the text mirrors the way male violence, perpetrated against women, has been kept hidden.
The recent #metoo and #TIMESUP campaigns have made visible the pervasive nature of misogyny and the repercussions it has had and continues to have on society. Women’s resistance has rarely manifested in acts of violence or grand gestures. These small acts, of puncturing the wall 242,740 times, celebrate weak resistance where strength is found in repetition and deliberate thoughtful progress. The gallery wall becomes a site of reflection. What is beaten into it is Solanas’s call to action, each small act of violence, is an account of the violence women suffer and reaffirms the changes that need to be made.
Laura Hudson, 2018, Artist / Curator
Participant Hammering Panel Pin through Template
Collateral Damage