Morgan Wood

With much ongoing media attention devoted to physical genitalia (usually indirectly via biological determinism, social/cultural gatekeeping, gendered public bathroom controversies), I found an intriguing possibility for discussion within the genre of pornography, wherein the presence of genitalia automatically informs a gendered reading of any body or performer. My researches into the pornographic body also drew my attention to an existing gap in knowledge: critical analysis of contemporary popular/explicit representations of the ambiguous and non-binary form, and the potential for such representations to promote sex-positivity and self- validation. However, this is not the sole area of focus, as the protean nature of my own physical embodiments, as well as my fictional characters, is a means to interrogate the broad assumptions and judgements that may be made about a person/persona based upon fixed socio-cultural and biological signifiers. My visual work presents physical and physiognomical topologies as maps to navigating non-binary genders and experiences, while the written case studies examine elements of the underlying theory and influence. 

Names of Supervisors:  

• Dr. Maria Fusco
• Dr. Johanna Linsley
• Erica Eyres