soft cracks, hard curves

“The moment I slipped on my hyperfemininity costume, my self-confidence changed – like I’d just done a line of coke.” — Virginie Despentes, King Kong Theory

“I’ve always resisted the sexualisation of my own body. Since developing curves as a teenager, I have hidden them under baggy clothes to avoid unwanted attention. I carry a constant tension between wanting to be seen and wanting to stay safe. This tension is the reason I like to engage with practices around sexualisation. A way to better understand the complexity of my own identity. Indeed, personal experience plays a significant role in my work. I believe that for a work to be relatable, it needs to be deeply close to me. It is in these core experiences that similarities with others often emerge.”

soft cracks, hard curves is a one-person act that explores the impact of clothing on the gaze of the other, how this gaze influences self-perception, and places the body at the centre as a site of investigation. Through choreography, electronic music and storytelling, the work resists simplistic labels and explores the intricacies of gender.

The performance explores multiple possibilities of being watched, acknowledging contradiction, pleasure, discomfort and transformation. Clothing becomes both costume and tool: a way to negotiate power, visibility and desire. The work is the second part of an ongoing series in which questions around gender are explored. The first piece, big small otherwise, is a duo; soft cracks, hard curves marks a shift into solo work, allowing for a more intimate and direct encounter with the audience.