The Female Imaginary

Abstract

Female Imaginary It was convergence, confluence, extravaganza of networking, affirmation of gender. Female Imaginary: Symposium on Feminist Practice in Visual Arts, was organized by curator Jan Allen and held on 28 January 1995 in conjunction with exhibition by same name at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. show featured artists Shawna Dempsey, Lorri Millan, Nancy Edell, Skai Fowler, Shelley Niro, Mireille Perron and Diana Thorneycroft, symposium offered an opportunity to extend dialogue of exhibition by expanding upon specific issues raised by work ... [and] to foster exchange of ideas and strategies among artists and within audience for feminist work women (and men) engaged with formulation and representation of feminist issues in their personal, public or professional lives.(f.1) central concept for series of events was French feminist Luce Irigary's identification of preconscious as site for cultivation of female culture, the female imaginary. In feminist psychoanalytic theory preconscious, residing and mediating between unconscious and conscious, is realm of myth, symbol and dream. Female Imaginary coincided with another exhibit and lecture, Joyce Wieland: Twilit Record of Romantic Love, held following day, and which artist attended. lecture by new Curator of Contemporary Art at Art Gallery of Ontario, Jessica Bradley, provided overview of some highlights in Wieland's illustrious career, sensitively exploring major themes and grappling with essentialist nature of many of her erotic works. Both accompanying catalogues also might have been prefaced with Irigary's words, as quoted by Jan Allen in symposium's program: The symbolic order is imaginary order which becomes law. Therefore, it is very important to question again foundations of our symbolic order in mythology and in tragedy because they deal with landscape which installs itself in imagination and then, all of sudden, becomes law.(f.2) symposium opened with Jean Randolph's keynote speech and slide presentation on preconscious narrative.(f.3) author of Psychoanalysis and Synchronized Swimming and Other Writings on Art(f.4) accompanied her talk with rummagable images of slides photographed from television screen, cautioning that they might or might relate to what she was saying. In its style her presentation openly avoided defining location as neither outside nor inside, claiming that while extemporizing, i.e. living, I do want to hide what is broken, as important as what is fixed. ghost of Freud, dubbed Dr. Dualism by Randolph, rubbed shoulders with Wayne Gretzky medal, punctuated by pleasure in wallowing in some of products of patriarchal society. Objectification was distinguished from interpretation by defining it as terrorizing act, in contrast to interpretation as act of elaboration, willing addition of belief. In keeping with her psychoanalytic approach, Randolph posited baby tossing as paradigm for lived space. When parents toss their baby up and down in play, they create setting impossible without trust generated by good experiences baby has had; ritual contains delightful streak of sadism and baby comes to knowledge both up and down, and in between up and down. latter experience is compared to psychoanalyst Melanie Klein's transitional experienced as free - floating. Survival is assured, contract of safety implicit. In space, relationship is one in which child learns me and not me. Representations take place in this safe space, a space of luxury. This metaphor underscores need to bring to culture - and to visual arts - ethics of luxury. To address ethical questions is to define poles - yes/no, up/down, and to recognize interpretation as power we mustn't abdicate. …