Artwork > FAG intimacy

FAG intimacy
FAG intimacy
BARE conductive LED, Silicone, on plinths
2019

In an attempt to explore conductive technologies and the aesthetics of interaction, I decided to work with the word Fag. As a slur this world holds power over those who have been a victim of it, allies of LGBT2Q+ feel discomfort to it, and so do those who use it as a weapon to hurt others. Discomfort is a critical emotion for this work, especially because I invite the viewer to touch it, interact with it, and reconcile with it. The letters are made from a semi-translucent dyed silicone. Silicone references the age of sexual boundary and restriction we currently live in, rubber, silicone sex toys, and condoms replace skin on skin intimacy. The silicone is dyed to match an unrealistic pink flesh tone that dildos are often cast from. The BARE conductive proximity sensor detects the viewer's presence and begins to illuminate the silicone from beneath before the viewer has even made contact. The stronger the conductivity (the closer you get, the harder you press) the brighter the silicone glows. The conductivity is also additive if two people interact at once the light is brighter. This is a call to become intimate with queer discomfort and to entertain the viewer in a deviant act of touching the art.