honours Exegesis

ABSTRACT

pleasure unbound: my queer joy [as ooze]

Ariella Napoli
04/11/2024

This exegesis explores the expression of queer joy through contemporary video performance. Queer joy and pleasure are understood in this inquiry through writings by Audre Lorde and Nikki Sullivan. Employing a post-essentialist perspective influenced by authors such as Tom Leddy and Amelia Jones, this creative works produced through this research aim to celebrate diversity and self-expression by challenging normative labels and understandings of self. A combination of studio exploration and artefact making has examined how ooze can be used as a personal symbol and function as a representation of queer joy.

The theoretical frameworks underpinning this study include Post-Essentialism and Queer Theory, unpacked further by concepts of pleasure, abjection, erotic haptic visuality, and satisfying slime culture. Employing a practice-based research methodology, the investigation incorporates action research and autoethnographic methods. Studio experimentation, including video and installation work, was guided by process driven creative practices.

The outcomes of the research strive to empower queer individuals and support the cultivation of queer visibility by emphasising the expression of joy and pleasure. This focus is critical for advancing queer research and artistic practice, offering reassurance and validation to future generations of queer individuals. This exegesis and artefacts seek to amplify diverse voices, encouraging societal acceptance and understanding of varied identities by contributing to discourses on queer experiences and subjectivities.

Keywords:

Ooze, Queer Joy, Contemporary Video, Abjection, Haptic Visuality, Post-Essentialism