Created and performed by Julia Croft and Virginia Frankovich, The Plastic Orgasm is a multi - disciplinary performance incorporating theatre, dance, performance art and live punk music, investigating representations of female sexuality in pornography.
A feminist investigation of the murky and contradictory nature of pornography and pornographic representations of female bodies, sexuality and pleasure.
The Plastic Orgasm premiered in May 2017 at LOT 23, in Eden Terrace, Auckland.
TRAILER HERE
RESEARCH SERIES - APRIL 2016
Created and performed by Julia Croft and Virginia Frankovich
The Plastic Orgasm was staged as a three night performance series at the Basement Theatre Auckland in April 2016. These three events were designed to be complimentary experiences offering various lenses to engage with the politics of pornographic representations of women and female pleasure. A shorter version of the work has also been shown at Somewhere series (performance art series) and as part of the artists exchange at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School.
Night One: A public discussion about pornography and the politics of representation.
Within a masculine economy of desire, pornographic representations of women* can be problematic. Are we being sold a conception of female sexual pleasure that is framed within a male fantasy? We invite you to an open discussion around these ideas with Dr. Virginia Braun and Dr. Nicola Gavey (University of Auckland) and Morgana Muses (Australian feminist pornographer)
Night Two: In which Julia and Virginia attempt a live interactive Bacchic Ritual in order to discover an authentic expression of female sexuality: A flawed experiment
Using a text from Euripides The Bacchae as a structure, Julia and Virginia created an interactive ritual exploration of female pleasure. Each element of the ritual, as described in the text, was re-imagined to incorporate popular culture elements, interactive and performative sections, using the theatre space as a journey through the stages of the ritual. This was created in response to “mainstream” pornographic depictions that subjugate, co-opt or ignore female pleasure. The ritual was created as a celebration of pleasure, in all its forms.
Night three: The Plastic Orgasm: A theatrical event
A theatrical exploration of the representation of sex, bodies and sexuality. A playful dissection of sexuality and its commodification. The work is exploring a de-eroticizing aesthetic; incorporating live feed camera, anti-virtuosic performance and non-narrative collage form to explore/investigate/challenge/question representations of female sexuality in pornographic material.
