2023.03 Yes, But Also｜ Mis(s)Interpretations｜9 fantasy girls
Taking place during International Womxn's Week, the event aims to challenge and reinvent preconceived notions of womanhood. Yes, But Also creates new archival imaginaries by resituating what has previously been left unrecorded and unrecognized; Mis(s)Interpretations obscures and redraws the contours of objects associated with womanhood, centering the subjective and amorphous nature of it; 9 fantasy girls dreams about constructing new boundless realms though the act of transcending the limitations and confines of one’s physical form.
Ultimately, the exhibition poses the question of whether the term “womanhood” can truly contain this evershifting concept and invites audiences to fantasize realities for alternate ways of being – ones outside of the gendered binary and freed from the expectation to be defined.
Yes, But Also
Artists: Haewon Ma, Angélica Oteiza, Pin Sangkaeo, and Benson Joseph
Advisors: Natalia Dopazo and Yazmín M. Crespo Claudio
[from the artists] Archives are spaces of gaps and silences. These are the events, actions, and individuals that were never formally recorded or attributed. Those who are often overlooked include individuals from groups that have become marginalized. This exhibition positions itself at these margins and considers the gendered work that falls on the shoulders of women (domestic, physical, emotional, and otherwise).
This work has also traditionally been unrecognized and unattributed, like a gap or silence in the archive. Through the acts of collecting, collating, and categorizing domestic objects, the house becomes an archive where we hope to resituate (both physically and metaphorically) how this work is perceived. That is, the act of archiving means attributing value to an object, its context, and its use. It imbues the object with power.
We hope to highlight the importance of collecting and retaining knowledge that has either traditionally been cast aside or not privileged and the types of actions this can lead to. We were inspired by archivists Anne Gilliland and Michelle Caswell who developed the idea of an “impossible archival imaginary” (Gilliland & Caswell 2015). According to Gilliland and Caswell, collections of objects (even those that cannot physically exist because the objects have been lost, are inaccessible, or might not have ever existed to begin with) take on power that transcend themselves within the social imaginary and inspire collective action.
We invite guests to add to the archive by bringing and tagging their own items during our event on March 10. In doing so, we hope they fill the gaps they see before them. We also encourage everyone to listen closely for the silences that we cannot immediately fill but are collectively working towards.
Mis(s)Interpretations
Artists: Jeannelle Fernandez, Sabrina Madera, Paola Ovando Peraza, and Sahar Simforoosh
[from the artists] Though historically rigidly defined, womanhood has come to mean many things, sometimes contradicting based on each individual’s experience and intersection with race, sexuality, and presentation. Mis(s)Interpretations asks the GSD community: what objects do you associate with your own womanhood?
The objects can be anything, regardless of their typical associations of womanhood and femininity to reflect the deeply personal and varied experience of womanhood. Using fabric and light our collection is then obscured, to be misread through their material deformations and silhouettes. This collectivity and mis(s)reading expresses womanhood as we know best – something amorphous, something to be interpreted, and something to be experienced.
9 fantasy girls
artist: August Sklar
[from the artist] Three years ago, I bought a ream of red construction paper at an art store with a valentine's day sale. These pages have since become an outlet for my fantasies.
I draw fantasy girls. These colorful avatars transcend their corporal forms, becoming fortified brick-clad amalgamations. They are saturated and boundless. I draw to revel in the undefined body.
Haewon Ma is a student at Harvard Graduate School of Design where she is pursuing a Master in Design Studies (Narratives Domain) ’24. She has a background in architecture, law, and design research.
Angélica Oteiza is a student at Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she pursues a Master in Landscape Architecture (‘23) degree. She has a background in Architecture, Community Engagement, and Public Innovation. She is interested in exploring design for non traditional approaches and as a research method.
Pin Sangkaeo and Benson Joseph who call themselves (snobs._) are a pair of designers and creative directors who possess a (snobbish) air of superiority and a burning desire to push the boundaries of conventional thinking through their experimental research. (snobs._) stands for a variety of interpretations, including Snide and Nefarious Opposition to Basic Society, Stupid Noisy Offensive Bullsh*t, or Sensitive and Obnoxious Bunch of Superiors, amongst others.
Advisors: Natalia Dopazo (Loeb Fellow/co-founder of Ciudad del deseo) & Yazmín M. Crespo Claudio (Lecturer/PhD Candidate/co-founder of taller Creando Sin Encargos)
Jeannelle Fernandez is a student at Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she is pursuing a Master of Architecture (‘25). She has a background in architecture, fabrication, and design research. She is interested in the ranging scales of design, both spatially and conceptually; specifically how design operates as a system, service and craft while intersecting with other disciplines.
Sabrina Madera is a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design where she is pursuing a Masters in Architecture (‘25) and holds a degree in civil engineering from MIT. She has worked with the metaLAB, various faculty at MIT, and firms in Boston to help in the design and fabrication of sculpture, installation, and even generative puzzles. She is interested in exploring the intersection of storytelling, experience, and the built environment especially as it relates to gender and sexuality.
Paola Ovando Peraza is a student at Harvard Graduate School of Design where she is pursuing a Master in Architecture ('25). She has a background in architecture, community engagement, and design research. She is interested in spatial justice as it relates to displacement/gentrification/immigration and storytelling.
Sahar Simforoosh is a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design where she pursues a Master in Architecture (‘25) degree. She has a background in architecture, interior architecture and design research. She is interested in exploring spatial design through objects and reimagining the familiar elements.
August Sklar is an artist studying landscape architecture.
