Genitals on Trial

Performative Installation, Live Drawing, Duration about 1,5 Hours

“Genitals on Trial“ ist connected to the installation “Genital Call“. It discusses a forced debate about privacy and the question for whom it must be preserved.

A court sketch artist and a minute-taker are present. Visitors have the chance to become part of the artpiece by describing their genitals within an audio booth. A court sketch artist listens to these descriptions via headphones and simultaneously tranforms the words into sketches. At the same time there is written a protocol.

Both – drawing and protocol – can be followed live as a large-scale transmission. As a third projection, collaged media reports about the frequently criticized trials complete the 90-minute event.

What interests in addition to the debate on the right to privacy, is the counter-assertion to the assumption that there are only two genders.

The idea for “Genital Call“ originated from debates following lawsuits in England and Scotland, where – mostly quite young – people were sentenced to several years of imprisonment because they had not revealed their assigned birthgender and looks of their genitalia when meeting new (potential) partners.