"It's Not A Hoax!"
Filed under: Icky Icky Poo
Aliza Shvarts, in her own words.
"For the past year, I performed repeated self-induced miscarriages. I created a group of fabricators from volunteers who submitted to periodic STD screenings and agreed to their complete and permanent anonymity. From the 9th to the 15th day of my menstrual cycle, the fabricators would provide me with sperm samples, which I used to privately self-inseminate. Using a needleless syringe, I would inject the sperm near my cervix within 30 minutes of its collection, so as to insure the possibility of fertilization. On the 28th day of my cycle, I would ingest an abortifacient, after which I would experience cramps and heavy bleeding.
To protect myself and others, only I know the number of fabricators who participated, the frequency and accuracy with which I inseminated and the specific abortifacient I used. Because of these measures of privacy, the piece exists only in its telling. This telling can take textual, visual, spatial, temporal and performative forms — copies of copies of which there is no original.
This piece — in its textual and sculptural forms — is meant to call into question the relationship between form and function as they converge on the body. The artwork exists as the verbal narrative you see above, as an installation that will take place in Green Hall, as a time-based performance, as a independent concept, as a myth and as a public discourse.
It creates an ambiguity that isolates the locus of ontology to an act of readership. An intentional ambiguity pervades both the act and the objects I produced in relation to it. The performance exists only as I chose to represent it. For me, the most poignant aspect of this representation — the part most meaningful in terms of its political agenda (and, incidentally, the aspect that has not been discussed thus far) — is the impossibility of accurately identifying the resulting blood. Because the miscarriages coincide with the expected date of menstruation (the 28th day of my cycle), it remains ambiguous whether the there was ever a fertilized ovum or not. The reality of the pregnancy, both for myself and for the audience, is a matter of reading.
This ambivalence makes obvious how the act of identification or naming — the act of ascribing a word to something physical — is at its heart an ideological act, an act that literally has the power to construct bodies. In a sense, the act of conception occurs when the viewer assigns the term “miscarriage” or “period” to that blood.
In some sense, neither term is exactly accurate or inaccurate; the ambiguity is not merely a matter of context, but is embodied in the physicality of the object. This central ambiguity defies a clear definition of the act. The reality of miscarriage is very much a linguistic and political reality, an act of reading constructed by an act of naming — an authorial act.
It is the intention of this piece to destabilize the locus of that authorial act, and in doing so, reclaim it from the heteronormative structures that seek to naturalize it.
As an intervention into our normative understanding of “the real” and its accompanying politics of convention, this performance piece has numerous conceptual goals. The first is to assert that often, normative understandings of biological function are a mythology imposed on form. It is this mythology that creates the sexist, racist, ableist, nationalist and homophobic perspective, distinguishing what body parts are “meant” to do from their physical capability. The myth that a certain set of functions are “natural” (while all the other potential functions are “unnatural”) undermines that sense of capability, confining lifestyle choices to the bounds of normatively defined narratives.
Just as it is a myth that women are “meant” to be feminine and men masculine, that penises and vaginas are “meant” for penetrative heterosexual sex (or that mouths, anuses, breasts, feet or leather, silicone, vinyl, rubber, or metal implements are not “meant” for sex at all), it is a myth that ovaries and a uterus are “meant” to birth a child.
When considering my own bodily form, I recognize its potential as extending beyond its ability to participate in a normative function. While my organs are capable of engaging with the narrative of reproduction — the time-based linkage of discrete events from conception to birth — the realm of capability extends beyond the bounds of that specific narrative chain. These organs can do other things, can have other purposes, and it is the prerogative of every individual to acknowledge and explore this wide realm of capability."
people like this make it embarrassing to have an art degree.
if you actually read what shes saying, its an interesting perspective…. the way she is going about proving her point is rather disturbing, but i understand her basic idea.
wtf
If this is true.. I hope you can never have children because you are sick person and if you value life so little that you can murder multiple people like this for no reason.. you are sick and should never be able to reproduce. So for purposes of your little show I hope karma comes back around and that you were never pregnant any of those times and that you never will be ..and that your uterus is useless and has no purpose.
jackasses, the whole point of the thing was that it was never certain that she was pregnant at all. it is quite likely, statistically, that she never did conceive with all the inseminations that she did, and also likely that even if she did conceive, her body would not have carried the baby to term. a significant percentage of fetuses are naturally miscarried before the "mother" even starts to wonder if she could be pregnant.
and anyways, it's her body. if she wants to mess around with syringes and give herself a few periods that are more uncomfortable than usual, so what. people do a lot more horrible things in this world.
murderous bitch.
What a pathetic way to work through her own self-loathing. She really makes all the rest of the lesbian community look bad.
seriously,
perez, stop posting about her.. shes disgusting and she shouldnt be receiving any attention, even if it is negative attention.
WOW - I hope her parents are proud of the money they waisted on their daughters "art school" Its so funny to me to think that someone who is questioning the role & functions of the body (i.e. "uterus is not meant for fertilization) is so quick to destroy her own! Talk about STUPID! Who knows - maybe she'll have a funer time explaining it when she has kids one day, and they grow up, google her name and this crap comes up! yeah. good luck with that.
This girl is sick in the head. She should be shot.
Re: medstudent –
Actually, there are natural abortifacients. Women have used them for centuries to induce miscarriage or abortion. I have used them myself (after a confirmed pregnancy test), and they are safe and effective early on in the pregnancy - if you get the help of a midwife, or someone with experience. It is illegal but much more pleasant than having your uterus vaccumed out.
However, you can't just take them and be done with it. It's a lot of work. It took me about 8 days to terminate the pregnancy and for that whole 8 days I thought of nothing but terminating. You also need to do things like massaging the uterus (which you aren't supposed to do if you intend on carrying to term). And you need to take another pregnancy test three weeks after and schedule a surgical abortion for backup.
this chick is dumb, she's getting pregnant on purpose to abort, most girls i know have stupid unprotected sex first… what ever happend to getting pregnant to trap a man? or to have someone to take care of you when you're old. Now they're art projects. Some people like to show they're ugly.
i agree w/ jen. she kind of a poser who thinks no one understands how she makes artwork. what a LOSER
Re: tbone – your MESSED up
Who gives a damn? Loser
Whether this is or is not a hoax:
As a pro-choice woman, a feminist and a sociologist I think this is an interesting piece of work.
This woman is pushing the boundaries of her body (which she has a right to do) - and at the same time reminding us all that women are not simply birthing machines. The female body will always be a controversial issue, and it seems people need to open their minds to what is wrong and right not just in terms of what society tells us is wrong or right. Afterall, she may actually be infertile for all we or she knows! She may never have been pregnant - although I do not feel that this is an issue.
If abortion is legal, why should induced miscarriage be seen as 'sick'? What gives anyone the right to tell us what we can and can't do with our body? Why can't we show people what our bodies can and can't do?
As women we have been continually repressed in terms of our body, so this is bound to make people feel uncomfortable.
But I say:
If you don't like it, don't look at it!
Reading this made me ill…What a sick bitch….
Re: smarter than you – Actually, you're incorrect. Her artist's statement isn't over my head at all. I consider myself to be intellectual and creative. I completely understand what she's saying..it's just that…what she's saying is…COMPLETELY SICK, WACKO, AND HEINOUS!! To even think of such a thing let alone DO it….wow..major, major problems.
I don't care what all of you contemporary art, free expression people out there say, it's not her right to do this! Nope..sorry..it's not. Is it her body she's tapering with? Well, yes. Is it only her body? Absolutely not!! Only God knows how many precious lives she's ended with this evil, psychopathic "art." And you know the ironic thing? All of those lives…they carried a part of her. Does she care? Apparently not.
i had 2 miscarriages over the past year (not self-induced)…and even though they were early on, there is still a lot of physical and emotional stuff to deal with…depression, messed up hormonal levels…i seriously don't think that she could repeatedly do that to herself…and if she did, her body is going to totally turn on her in a few months…it's not art or a social statement to do something that idiotic…
Ick..Who cares about how sick she is..I don't want to read about this anymore. Please stop before she actually starts reproducing as part of her art. If that happens, god help us all…
All you internet fucks are idiots. She's at Yale, we're on the internet reading about her. Jokes on us, dicksnots.
you make absolutley no fucking sense, stop using the same words over and over, p.s your sniffin some harsh yayo
She is absolutley insane….how is this art? She is ugly too thats probably why she had to inseminate herself!
She should be put in jail. You would think this would be murder.
::stands up and appaluds::
Good luck girl. Only 2% of the world will be able to understand and only a small percent of them will relate.
Cheers and thank you for the reminder that there are still great questioning minds in your generation.
Impressed. Very impressed.
This bitch needs a straight jacket and padded walls.. Either that or hancuffs and steel cells..
What a lovely piece of shit she is.
This wrong
she is a dirty slag
what a fucking waste of space
psycho slag
stop posting shit about her shes nasty and she dnt deserve the attention. Miscarriage is a big deal.. how many ppl it effects and she dont even give a fuck.
What an abstract way of thinking. Bravo! Though I do not believe said fertilizations and abortions were actually performed, just the concept and explanation behind her idea is thought provoking.
Abortion is our legal right. NEVER let that go. There is much decease, famine and drug addiction in the world, with an over abundant population adding to the dilemma. I do not plan to have children and have had several abortions. I am not christian, I will never be christian. So those beliefs do not taint my reasoning.
I try to live my life without harsh judgment towards other peoples chosen way of life. Unfortunately, that is not always the popular standard.
art rulez everyhtin!!!
stop bitchin @her, she does it 2 herself, no one else! it's her fuckin freedom 2 do so…
what do U want otherwise? has no one read "1984" or "A Brave New World"?
while I do support a woman's right to choose, this bitch needs to have her face smashed in…. what a waste of flesh. I hope she injures herself badly….
psycho.
this is disgusting!
After seeing this… I kinda wonder" What did Van gogh really know about art" Skip the Louve Go to your local abortion clinic
Its a hoax. She is doing it for attention. She's a sick slut who wants attention maybe because she didn't get enough growing up I don't know. But even the thought of her claiming it as art or thinking it was a good thing to do is beyond me. She needs to be slapped in the face she is a sick bitch and deserves to get her ass kicked.
She is sick. I don't care who you are or what you are trying to do. taking advantage of abortion drugs for your own selfish form of birth control is totally wrong. it spits in the face of those who fought for the right for women to choose. In doing this, she has slapped all women in the face. She has given all anti-choice people fuel for their fire and really hurt the female species. I can't even think about this anymore…it is just so disgusting!
Effing Whack Job!
If you look up all the "big words" this "intellectual" has needlessly peppered her little diatribe with, it makes very little to no sense. Not only was her project, if not a hoax, a waste of life, but her quasi-philosophical ramblings make her look like a pretentious idiot. I doubt very highly she actually did this; herbal or "home" abortifacients just aren't that reliable (asked anyone who's ever tried, in a moment of desperation, to end a pregnancy at home), nor is the female reproductive system (just asked anyone who's ever desperately tried to conceive). The thought that she could get pregnant this regularly and then terminate the pregnancies that easily is remarkable, to say the least. Let's stop giving her the attention she so obviously needs and let her move onto a life time of obscurity.
she hates men, she was probably raped or something …and she is going to develop serious health problems as she gets older…too bad she is too naive to know what she is doing…
Re: viola –
I believe in choice - the choice wheather or not to have sex. If you have that choice you should NOT have a choice to kill that child because it will not fit into your life plan - you shouldn't have had sex if a baby won't work into your plans. Grow a spine and give birth - there are tons of people who wish they could have a baby and would be happy to adopt your unwanted little bundle of cells that you tossed in the trash.
this is so wrong on so many different levels. i can't believe she calls this art. this is truly sad.
I'm sorry. Is she crazy? Has someone checked this out? She sounds like a sociopath
I thought based, on your recent homework regarding abortion. You might find this interesting. Too bad we didn't have this info early on.
Goodness she's so satisfied with herself.
I've met artists who smacked of self-satisfaction, but never quite so smugly. And especially for such a thoughtless (yes thoughtless) project. None of those artists were ever particularly good.
I mean seriously? The whole blood-on-sheeting-around-a-box concept is pretty weak. I did a performance art piece on abortion in college too but at least mine:
1) Didn't involve me having a series of actual abortions since, y'know, it didn't need to in order to convey its message.
2) Actually had a cohesive and integrated concept since art is useless if it doesn't communicate anything in its construction or execution.
And yeah…her project doesn't communicate anything in its construction or execution other than "I'm going to do something stupid and shocking and you can't stop me! So there!"
The smug look on her face cracks me up. Someday she'll grow up and wonder what the hell she was so smug about.
FYI - Abortion doesn't exist in the vacuum of your body. Your concept is poorly conceived (yeah, pun intended..why not.) if you ignore that fact.
wtf.
Shes one of the sickest people I believe to exsist. What a fucko! And how the hell did she get sperm did she like steal a box from the sperm bank?
Re: Sonia – You go girl!! I love that you are pushing the envelope. However, people in this country are too conservativ to appreciate what you are trying to say.
i go to yale. this was in the yale daily news last friday. im embarrassed she goes to my school. i assure you all that she is in no way representative of our student body. in fact, ive never seen or heard of the girl, not even on facebook. so she prolly has no friends.
also, her bangs are cut too short, thereby automatically deeming her a total loser.
Re: mommy@16 –
exaaactly. i agree with you.
the issue with abortion is not taking away a right to choose, it's about idiots being smart enough to understand that unprotected sex can possibly =baby. it's not rocket science. it's biology. if you don't want a baby, that's what birth control was invented for.
her pathetic attempt at using "intellectual" jargon in her rant is only to make her disgusting sadistic experiment seem "artistic" and "revolutionary." Challenging that the uterus is not "meant" for childbearing is like challenging that the head is not "meant" to hold the brain. it's assenine logic. biologically, we females have a uterus to produce a new human. no one says any woman HAS to have children, but that is the natural, biological purpose of the uterus.
how is that hard to understand?
i went to high school with this bitch…she was nuts then, nuts now, will always be nuts…fuckin nutjob.
She is crazy, and i hope that one day she will realize what se did- and that she also realizes that she will be punished, what a sick flippen chick- she needs help, and she gives women a bad bad bad name! sh eshould be 765456 locked up and tyhe key thrown away!
thats her body. she can do whatever she wants with it.
i dont aprove her actions, but thats her body. I dont think she got pregnant because everything was very amateur. I believe she got strongs periods but never a miscarriage
Re: cambel – have to totally agree…she rambles on incoherently- restating everything and she writes in such a ridiculously self important fashion is it any wonder she couldn't get anyone to actually fuck her long enough to get pregnant? it seems she missed the point of her form and function……of course this isn't actually a celebration of the form and function of the human body or even a demonstration of the mythology of form. it's a pathetic ensemble piece designed to shock and mystify. i think her intended message when she says that the 'pregnancy' she's terminated can't be identified but only read into the process, is a complete political/criminal message. is she/is she not a murdering abortionist because it cannot be proven she was ever actually impregnated. it's always enjoyable to read about someone so pathetically self deluded and self important that they think they have some vast knowledge of humanity and can educate the rest of us. where is that lone shooter on a bell tower when you need him??? anyone at yale feeling particularly postal today????
I just vomited, she is one sick bitch.
Re: viola – I, and countless other people, consider you a murder. I, and countless other women, have had miscarriages. There is NO shame to a miscarriage…WTF?
I have had 7 miscarriages! My last one was Jan. 14,2008. Yes, I was blessed with 2 beautiful children, but I was devestated by losing a child. I will never get to hold, smell, look at it, hear or raise them.
As far as this ignorant mass murderer goes, she REALLY needs some mental attention, before she realizes that its less damaging to herself, if she kills ppl. that are on earth. Yet, I guess she likes knowing she can kill something that doesn't fight back. UGH! I hate bitches like this. Sicko!
Call you Mother & ask her why she didnt put your ass in the mental institution before you got this bad.
What a bunch of academic bullshit…
Somebody needs to take a few Biology courses…not to mention get a mental examination.
stated by Kaitlyn "It's amazing to read this eloquent article (regardless of its substance), and then hear the responses below. Here we have a woman who has forgotten more than any of you sheep will ever know, and yet these comments abound, which are to the effect of 'wuuahtt'(?) 'effin psycho' and the non-judgemental, peace-loving Christians jump in with 'she's going straight to Hell.'"
Some people would rather go straight to Hell for being themselves then get turned away at the gates of Heaven for being YOU.
This chick is pathetic. She needs the SHIT beat out of her. Abortion = Selfish…. if you dont want a kid, dont be a whore!! Children are amazing.
what a complete and utter twat, who show's no amount of decency and respect for people out there who are actually trying to concieve but can't. total and utter peice of shit.
"Isn't it a bit unhealthy to have repeated abortions?"
Who gives a shit if it's UNHEALTHY??? She just murdered several people because she decided it was artistic!!!! I'm pro choice but that does not include "Oh, I'm bored, I'm going to induce a miscarriage to see what it does." Whoever called her an attention seeking bitch is right. I hope she rots in hell.
look at this foolishness
First of all there was never a pregnancy test to confirm she was ever pregnant to begin with. Did anyone even READ what she said? Did anyone UNDERSTAND what she said and what her purpose was? Please people, we all have different opinions on what art is, simply because you have some moral agenda against it doesn't mean it's not art to her. I clearly don't agree with aborting babies for fun (clearly she wasn't trying to do that..as she isn't even sure if she was pregnant to begin with and that wasn't the overall goal of her project-just the method she used to illustrate what she wanted to convey) but I'm also not going to be the one to throw the first stone and start calling on Jesus to "save" her. Open your minds before you open your mouths..sometimes it can save you some brain cells.
this bitch is a complete and total physcopath
Fucking Jews and their DEGENERATE ART! [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degenerate_art]
talk about weird shit in the name of art.
WHat a stupid ass bitch
fuckn rot in hell
as flavor flav says, "woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow"
This is disgusting. Does she not feel for the women out there who really have gone through things like that!
And she calls it art!
Re: Andee – You stupid whore! It's not art, she's a muderer, killing an unborn child. So go eff yourself, nobody else wants too.
Re: viola – You should feel bad, you killed someone! If you didn't want the baby, then keep your dick in your pants..or in your fatass mouth!