Chastity Belts, Voluntary Incarceration, Sexual Politics & Art

“Like art, sex is fraught with symbols: a perfectly humane eroticism may be impossible…desire is intensified by ritual limitations. Hence the mask, harness and chains of sadomasochism.” -Camille Paglia

‘The Pledge of Fidelity, The Pledge of Self Discipline’ is an investigation into the psychological and anatomical effects of wearing a female chastity belt. “For 2 months I wore a chastity belt, recording my thoughts and feelings on a personal cassette recorder. The result was an installation, produced in collaboration with Karen F that took the form of an audio visual diary; a documentary of a performance work which confronted the politics of body ownership, sexual power and control. In using my body as the site for social research my intention was to begin to understand through experience what it is like to give up the right to my body sexually.