Fashioning the Body: Versions of the Citizen, the Self, and the Subject

Feminist Film Art of the 70’s :

Is feminism a political movement – Is it a movement – Does it move – What does it move – Who does feminism move – Am I to be moved – Moved from what to what – Who is moved by anything political anyway – (You should ask yourself how you contribute to patriarchy) – Well then am I moved by art – {art?} – Feminist art might then move me – <I’m ripping out my patriarchy in pieces> –Yet how am I not moved by any of these five feminist films – {move?} – As follows :

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Vertical Roll. Jonas’ film is what? Twenty minutes of noise and flicker? Avant-garde experimentation? A joke at the viewers expens(e)<ive>? Deliciously audacious and disturbingly hypnotic?

Here’s the square : her film is not in the least feminist (and I don’t even have the slightest idea what “feminist” determines). It is feminine only in that a female body is the single object throughout. It is experimental film art, untainted by some message or agenda. Who deemed this film “feminist”? I doubt Jonas did, unless she was greatly confused.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Female Sensibility. Benglis’ film. Something here. A critique of patriarchy (oh my yes, what?). Tastefully pornographic. Deliberately tastefully pornographic. And yet the audio overwhelms the visual. This to may be deliberate. Something here. Moved? This film challenges the viewer. To do something. Maybe just think. It’s all rather vague. But this is art, and vague is art’s ally.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Through the Large Glass. Wilke is too attractive. Her breasts are too perfect to do a striptease for feminism. It becomes a mere (if unusual) striptease. For nothing in particular. Or is this her message? That perfect breasts overwhelm any artistic (or otherwise) expression or experience. Patriarchy! Wilke’s perfect breasts are the <un>willing victims of. Patriarchy! “You missed the whole point!” “I know! I was too occupied with Wilke’s perfect breasts! Sorry!” Patriarchy!

Aside (below) note : Colleen Dixon, who presented these films, mentioned that Wilke’s works (such as this film) were originally treated to healthy skepticism from the feminist community. That is, until the early 90’s when she developed (internally infected <like all of us!>) cancer and died. This apparently legitimized her previous work. Problems here 1.) As if her work even needed to be “legitimized”! 2.) What the hell? A certain group of persons must be getting sentimental about cancer. Or just sentimental about death.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->The East Is Red, The West Is Bending. Rosler’s wok technique-critique. I mean culture-critique. Addressing incisively and not at all gender and sexuality. Is any work feminist if a female crafts it? Here’s what you think : You think Rosler made a very provocative insight into Eastern Westernizing or Western Easternizing, but that she could have made this insight in many fewer minutes and more effectively.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman. Birnbaum’s Wonder Woman collage. Seven minutes. Pleasantly absurd. Yet subtle. A sensory experience. Minutes seven. On the go sex requires exactly seven minutes. Birnbaum orgasms you with a sing-a-long climax (like any good climax). Listen : of these five films, this is the one you would show to your lover. During on the go seven minutes sing-a-long climax intercourse. Passionate expressions of love and Wonder Woman metamorphosizes and such.

D

Fashioning The Body

November 12, 2007