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March 29, 2004
Century project challenges stereotypes of the
female body
Week of events scheduled for UCSC and downtown
Santa Cruz from April 12 to 18
By Scott Rappaport
The Century Project is a remarkable exhibition that challenges stereotypical
views of the female body, the nature of voyeurism, and the cycle of
aging.
Silvia, age 2, and Lumina, 54, are two of the 70 photographs featured
in the Century Project, an exhibition that will be on display
April 12-15 at Kresge College and April 16-18 at the Veterans
Memorial Building in Santa Cruz. Photos:
Frank Cordelle
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Featuring 70 photographs of unclothed girls and women in chronological
orderfrom a newborn baby to a woman in her 90sit is designed
to provoke thought and discussion about subjects that are often taboo
in our society, such as aging, nudity, violence, heath issues, and the
portrayal of women in the media.
Most of the photographs are accompanied by intensely personal, and
often moving, written statements by the subjects about their bodies
and their experience of being photographed.
The Institute for Advanced Feminist Research (IAFR) at UCSC will present
the Century Project April 12-15 at Kresge College on campus, and April
16-18 at the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Santa Cruz. This
marks the first large-scale public event for the new institute, which
has been primarily in the planning stage since its founding in 2001.
IAFR director Helene Moglen, a professor of literature at UCSC, said
the exhibit has toured nationally in galleries, colleges, and universities,
noting that the photographs are often used by therapists and counselors.
In their statements, some of the women discuss what it means
to have been abused as children and how they view their bodies differently
as a result of participating in the project, Moglen said. They
describe how they are now able to see themselves not just as abused
bodies, but in other more positive ways. There is an impressive range
of women represented in the exhibition, including some who have had
mastectomies, and others who are self-cutters, anorexic, or disabled.
Its very surprising to me; I would not have expected girls
and women to seek out this form of expression, Moglen added. One
thing I realized as I looked at the photos for the first time is that
the real taboo body in our culturethe body we have least exposure
to and perhaps the most anxiety aboutis the unclothed body of
the old woman.
Moglen pointed out that the exhibit contradicts the common stereotype
of the glamorous young woman and the rather reticent older woman.
Its remarkable how sad many of the young women in the exhibition
seem, and how much discontent they express about their bodieseven
though they are often regarded as beautiful, Moglen observed.
And its amazing that the older women in their 80s and 90s
are so comfortable, even joyous, in their bodies.
As part of the exhibition, Moglen said there would be a number of panels
and discussions held throughout the week on a variety of issues, ranging
from body image to the responsibilities of the photographer in taking
these types of photos.
Speakers will include Dr. Catherine Forest, associate physician at
UCSCs Cowell Student Health Center; Eileen Zurbriggen, UCSC assistant
professor of psychology; Donna Hunter, UCSC associate professor of art
history; and Century Project photographer Frank Cordelle.
Another very interesting thing about this exhibition is that
you have a male photographer taking photographs of unclothed women,
Moglen said. But theres a great difference when photographs
of this sort are accompanied by personal statements. Because there are
comments with the images, the women become the subjects, not the objects
of the photographs.
That raises interesting questions about the conditions that produce
voyeurism and how we can change that voyeuristic circuit of looking,
she added. Men may come to Century looking for the naked or the
nude body, and they might find instead the body that is unclothed.
Cordelle has been working on the Century Project for the past 20 years
and hopes to have it published in book form in the near future. He has
worked as a freelance photographer for a variety of ad agencies and
magazines, including Life and Newsweek, and has had more
than 50 magazine covers published throughout his professional career.
Moglen noted that the ultimate purpose in bringing the exhibit to Santa
Cruz is to promote thoughtful discussion that will cross generations--from
high school age students to retired senior citizens. She added that
the mission of UCSCs Institute for Advanced Feminist Research
is to help build bridges, not only between research and activism, but
also between the campus and the community.
When you think of body image these days, you think of what an
important phenomenon it is in our culture right now, particularly with
piercing, tattoos, and plastic surgery across age groups, Moglen
said. This exhibit provides the community with an opportunity
to talk cross-generationally about all of these issues. The immediacy
of the photographs is quite powerful in provoking conversations and
debate.
The Century Project will be on display Monday, April 12, through Thursday,
April 15, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m at UCSCs Kresge College 159. It
will be at the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Santa Cruz on
Friday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as on Saturday and
Sunday, April 17-18, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. This event is co-sponsored
by the UCSC Institute for Humanities Research and Center for Cultural
Studies, the Humanities Division, the Women's Studies Department, and
the Womens Center. For more information, call (831) 459-3882.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Monday, April 12: Introduction of Exhibit by Frank Cordelle,
photographer, 5 p.m., Kresge 159
Tuesday, April 13: Impression/Impact of Century Project: Discussion,
Dr. Catherine Forest, Health Center; 4:30-5:30 p.m., Kresge Red Room.
Wednesday, April 14: The Use of Unclothed Children as Photographic
Models,
Eileen Zurbriggen, Assistant Professor of Psychology; 4-5 p.m., Kresge
Red Room
Thursday, April 15
A Dialogue about Body Image, Peg Shemaria-Hedman, psychologist with
Counseling Services, 4-5:30 p.m., Kresge Red Room
Friday, April 16: Exhibition opens at Veterans Memorial Hall,
Post Room, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 17: The Unclothed Body. Frank Cordelle, photographer;
E. G. Crichton, associate professor of art, and Donna Hunter, associate
professor of art history, 3-4:30 p.m., Veterans Memorial Hall
Sunday, April 18: Open Mic, 3-5 p.m, Veterans Memorial Hall
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