J0Y5T1CK5🥀
is a body game about reconsidering the authority of rules, finding intimacy in a playful space, and rethinking the idea of sex-toys from a non-penetrative perspective.
J0Y5T1CK5 is a game in the sense of a participative performance conceptualized for an institutional white cube gallery context.
The work consists of three main elements: the installation, the sculptures and the performance, with the performative part being the most prominent.
The performance itself is also divided into three parts: the search for participants, the agreement on which body parts and dildos should be part of the play, and the actual play.
The performance itself is also divided into three parts: the search for participants, the agreement on which body parts and dildos should be part of the play, and the actual play.
The dildos are non-phallic porcelain sculptures, made by hand or slip-cast, and usually finished with various self-made glazes. This pursuit of uniqueness underlines the ecological and economic value and encourages the players to be more careful with the ceramics and with each other.
J0Y5T1CK5 is a game that involves different bodies and is therefore a space of vulnerability that requires trust and, by chance, creates moments of intimacy.
J0Y5T1CK5 is a game that involves different bodies and is therefore a space of vulnerability that requires trust and, by chance, creates moments of intimacy.
The performative part is about rules. Why do we have them and how useful are they, or do they limit the expression and needs of those who are guided by them?
As the author of the game, I am the authority in defining the rules. Since it is a game about getting physical with each other, by chance even intimate and constantly in the light of sexual play, I want to relinquish as much authority as possible while still providing a framework to negotiate with.
This shift in authority clashes with the conventional rules of the white cube gallery context: don't touch, don't break, guarantee the continuity of the work. They don't work with J0Y5T1CK5 and are therefore excluded. Not only to embrace the idea of emancipation from the hierarchy of rules, but also to allow visitors to touch, use and eventually break the sculptures.
As the author of the game, I am the authority in defining the rules. Since it is a game about getting physical with each other, by chance even intimate and constantly in the light of sexual play, I want to relinquish as much authority as possible while still providing a framework to negotiate with.
This shift in authority clashes with the conventional rules of the white cube gallery context: don't touch, don't break, guarantee the continuity of the work. They don't work with J0Y5T1CK5 and are therefore excluded. Not only to embrace the idea of emancipation from the hierarchy of rules, but also to allow visitors to touch, use and eventually break the sculptures.
If the players decide to follow the score of J0Y5T1CK5, it will be like a puzzle with bodies. Each dildo is randomly assigned to one of the body parts consensually added to the game. Now the players have to connect with each other through all the selected dildos, translating the sculptures into controllers and challenging gravity. Communication and awareness of each other's bodies will be necessary to prevent the fragile dildos from falling.
If all the dildos are broken, the game is no longer accessible.
The work is financially supported by “Freunde und Förderer der Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes e.V.”
If all the dildos are broken, the game is no longer accessible.
The work is financially supported by “Freunde und Förderer der Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes e.V.”
📸 by Mario Strahl