Borragán, Alfonso;
(2023)
Stone ingestion; proto-photography, profanation and inscription.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
Preview |
Text
Borragan_10178429_thesis_Redacted_Images.pdf Download (44MB) | Preview |
Abstract
This practice-led PhD in Fine Art aims to generate further understanding of stone ingestion, its effect on the human body, and the symbolism of this ritual through communal or collective actions. Research questions: What is the significance of stone ingestion for the communities that perform it? Can stone ingestion be seen as a proto-photographic process, a photography within the body? Can stone ingestion be considered a form of unstable inscription that carries the traces of our biology? Is stone ingestion an act of ritual resistance? My theoretical framework offers three modes of conceptualising stone ingestion: as proto-photography, with reference to Jose Roca; inscription with reference to Baruch Spinoza, Lynn Margulis and Levi Strauss; and ritual profanation according to Giorgio Agamben. The research has been developed through a series of collective actions based on the ingestion of rocks and clay, generating a collective performative space where transformation can take place for those present. I have learned and worked with communities for whom stone ingestion is a significant ritual, for example Haitian clay cookie ingestion in relation to the eating of ceramics by the Spanish Royal family. The methods of my practice are based in collective processes that lead to collective actions. The research develops through workshops and conversations, and the observation of rituals. The studio methods include: performing; scripting; writing; photography and video; and the creation of artworks called Remnants, generated by the actions and the research throughout my process. This research contributes to the under-studied field of stone ingestion through an artistic process, both theoretical and practical. It contributes to knowledge by stretching relational aesthetics through collective practises to reimagine alternatives to the narrow modern view of what constitutes normalised behavior. Furthermore, it emphasises rituals as a way to construct new narratives around the collective body.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Stone ingestion; proto-photography, profanation and inscription |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2023. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > The Slade School of Fine Art UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Arts and Sciences (BASc) UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10178429 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
