The Clam

My work challenges assumptions around queer bodies by highlighting diverse expressions of gender in the natural world.  I explore themes of queer liberation and self-reclamation as well as the importance of community and freedom of expression. 

This piece utilizes the form of a razor shell clam as a vessel for centering pleasure and bodily autonomy. The mollusk defies traditional depictions of a vulva by proudly displaying an elongated clitoral form, representing the diversity of gender non-conforming bodies. The shaft is adorned with a large dangling piercing as an act of self-expression and reclamation. Referencing histories of body modification, the piercing is also used as an aesthetic indicator to signal identity to a community. The steel shell creates a tough impenetrable exterior, yet it is cracked open, exposing the soft flesh. There is a balance between the vulnerability of self-expression, of allowing oneself to be seen, and the fear of predation. To open yourself up is to be brave in the face of that fear, and to choose authenticity over conformity.