"For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse" at Yale

[CTyankee]

http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/24513

Yalie art major has been regularly artificially inseminating herself while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to create an art exhibition. The goal, she said was to "spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body."

Sorry, no pics yet of her art work. This will be interesting...

[Xithras]

1. Ick.

When I was at Berkeley long ago, a female art student created a big flap when she did a painting completely out of menstrual blood. I'll say the same thing about this, that I said about that one so many years ago.

That's fucking gross. Of course she has a right to do it, but it's still gross. No different than painting with piss or feces, in my opinion. Just...ewww.

[PaDem]

2. this is sick in my opinion...........

go ahead, fire away.

[CTyankee]

5. Art, ya know...?

What are you gonna do? It is art, OK? It is legal for her to do this.

Politically, I don't approve. But who am I to say that she cannot do to her own body what she wants to do?

This is pushing the envelope a far, far way...

[uppityperson]

3. Fake, debunked, links, Yale statement, article, etc, here...

http://jezebel.com/381205/yale-abortion-art-piece-was-creative-fiction

Yale: Abortion Art Piece Was "Creative Fiction"

So it turns out that Aliza Shvarts, the Yale student who said she impregnated herself only to abort her fetuses using "herbal" methods several times over for an art project, totally pulled one over on everyone. (Well, everyone except Moe.) She didn't really get pregnant a bunch of times, and she didn't really give herself abortions. According to a statement issued by Yale spokesperson Helaine S. Klasky, the entire stunt—Shvarts' press release, visual presentation, and narrative materials—was all part of Shvarts' real art project: Proving people are gullible weenies.

Actually, "gullible weenies" isn't the term that was used, but that's pretty much what it amounted to. Here's the full statement from Klasky:

http://www.yale.edu/opa/

New Haven, Conn. — April 17, 2008

Ms. Shvarts is engaged in performance art. Her art project includes visual representations, a press release and other narrative materials. She stated to three senior Yale University officials today, including two deans, that she did not impregnate herself and that she did not induce any miscarriages. The entire project is an art piece, a creative fiction designed to draw attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body.

She is an artist and has the right to express herself through performance art.

Had these acts been real, they would have violated basic ethical standards and raised serious mental and physical health concerns.

[CTyankee]

6. Hey, that's what was in today's Yale Daily News! I thought it was interesting!

But isn't that typical of a Yalie to pull a fast one on us?

Actually, I love it! It shows me that P.T. Barnum's idea is alive and well...

[CoffeeCat]

4. Exactly what point is she trying to make?

That's what I would like to know.

It seems as if she's trying to make the statement that she can do whatever she wants
with her body.

[CTyankee]

7. Don't know. But if debunked, well...n/t