'Pleasure Imprints'
“Is this ok?”
Is this question a useful tool for investigating shared desires, pleasures, permissions and boundaries?
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Installation documenting the 'Pleasure Imprints' performance
currently showing as part of 'Sustainable Clay' @
Hatton Gallery, Newcastle | Feb 1st- May 3rd, 2025
Free, no booking required, open Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm
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Developed through ACE Project Grant and VAMHN research network Arts Award grant in collaboration with Dr Tina Sikka at Newcastle University, 2022-24
Pleasure Imprints, why it happens:
“is this ok?”. A question, supporters of the “enthusiastic” model of consent encourage us to ask each another during sex. But is this question really a sufficient, or even vaguely useful, tool for communicating and investigating shared pleasures, permissions and boundaries? After five years of collaborating with feminist academic Dr Tina Sikka to creatively research sexual ethics, restorative justice and gender-based violence our answer is “No”. Framing pleasure in the context of “ok- ness” seems unambitious and lacking in nuance at best. At worst it encompasses so much of the shame- filled, violent, heterocentric, ableist, colonialist frameworks that most of us are expected to navigate permission, boundaries & joy within. So now, we’re gathering and crafting alternative tools, the Pleasure Imprints performance is one of these.
Pleasure Imprints, how it happens:
During the performance Kitt sits, lays and dances in a pool of raw clay. Their head, face, shoulders arms and lower legs are bare. Kitt makes clay objects for, or with, visitors who wish to participate in this way. Using gestures and facial expressions visitors indicate, if they want to join in and suggest a place on Kitt’s bare skin where they would like clay to be placed. Kitt uses this part of their body as a surface on which to hand craft an object. Visitors can join in with making the clay object. Once it leaves Kitt’s skin, the object is complete. Visitors can take it away with them or leave it in the space as documentation of the work. Invitations to join in are communicated through a written text, a series of illustrations, an audio version of the text and support from another person in the room (but not in the pool).
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