Controlled Response is a video and found object art installation I produced in 2016. It's a video installation projected above a plinth, bearing 3 lipsticks with x-acto knife blades protruding from them. The video is of a woman, putting on pink lipstick using her iPhone selfie camera. Written in pink lipstick on the plinth, are the words, ‘If you have been conditioned to view the mediums of fashion and make-up artistry as trivial (along with the women who use these mediums), this automatic response is a testament to the very power these mediums hold: to control the subconscious perception of the viewer.’ It juxtaposes perceived frivolity, with a very real power—the perceived frivolity of women who engage with expressions like fashion and makeup, with the power of controlling the gaze through the curation of the appearance. Humans have been adorning themselves for time immemorial. It's a natural extension of our innate desire for expression. The idea of these things as frivolous is the conditioning of patriarchy--viewing all feminine energies as worthy of derision. Of course, this has partially been due to people getting tangled in patriarchal notions whilst working to (validly) critique the institution of media perpetuated beauty ideals. I strongly believe, however, in our collective power to dismantle the concept of women needing to match a socially constructed beauty ideal, and I believe we can do this while simultaneously honouring femininity in all of it's expressions. This is the moment in time where we will evolve our institutional critique of beauty culture to be free of misogynistic subtext.
