THE DEWY BLOG
Art
Aside from my writing, I also create visual art. When I do so, I try to utilize non-standard materials to bring further meaning to the piece. This is a list of what I have created to date.
Have an idea? Do it yourself. (Seriously. Give it a try, you might have fun!)
To Those That Insist
Materials: Corrugated plastic and paint
Special Materials: 3 estradiol tablets (2mg/each), ~0.3mL estradiol valerate, 3 estradiol transdermal systems (7.6mg each), 25 domperidone tablets (10mg/each; crushed), 1 intramuscular needle (used), medical packaging, bandages
Description: This piece is coupled with a poem of the same name (and dedicated to HMI, a LGBTQ charity):
"People who menstruate"
is a sterile turn of phrase.
Remaining highly accurate
in all of the correct ways.
Not tied to any femininity
critics of the term decry.
It's a barrier to a heritage;
being sacred in some's eye.
Those same critics will deny
my period meets the definition,
which happens every other week
with or without critics' permission.
With sharp, stabbing pain it starts
as a needle is jabbed into my thigh.
Intramuscular, to use the right term,
and on its inevitability my body relies.
Side effects are the usual ones
hot flashes, cramps and the like.
For sensitivity and mood swings,
you never know when it will strike.
You get used to it over time
(though it always sucks a little).
I must endure until menopause
or my bones themselves will brittle.
My period is unique to me
even including a bit of blood.
But many suffer this affliction
from having none to a full flood.
Menstruation is not always feminine
trans men and others will attest.
Nor is it necessary to be a woman,
as my sisters and I are so "blessed."
An inconsistent, conflicting approach
the critics' logic seems to be.
Reducing periods to medical terms
was not insisted upon by me.
Captain Capitalism
Materials: Rope, piping, ribbon
Special Materials: USSR KGB Officer's Jacket, Pants and Belt, USSR Currency, Cuban Currency, Karl Marx €0 Commemorative Bill
Description: This piece is an acknowledgement of the triumph of capitalism over communism while mourning the goals of communism. Despite what your grandpa says, communism was not intended to kill millions of people. It was an attempt to stop the exploitation of the working class. That backfired. Horribly.
The parade uniform tells its own story. When I received it, it felt like it could not have been worn that often. This was the pride of the person who owned it. The jacket features gorgeous craftsmanship, with the large brass belt buckle as a particularly nice piece. Yet, at the same time, the size of the uniform (particularly the pants) was that of an emaciated person. And this was a KGB officer.
The final nail in the coffin? I purchased every part of this uniform with USD.
Materials sourced and initial design by Dewy; Final design and stitching by Kaileen Langstone
Jeff Bezos Owes Me $20
Materials: Print with paint and dry erase marker on external glass
Special Materials: 20 $1 Amazon Gift Card Codes
Description: This is quite literally the exact same idea as Jeff Bezos Owes Me $19, but with $20.
What happened is that I didn't want to sell my personal one, so I made this one.
Jeff Bezos Owes Me $19
Materials: Print with paint and dry erase marker on external glass
Special Materials: 19 $1 Amazon gift card codes
Description: The company store has changed. Formerly a lone storefront defined by (i) its acceptance of scrip or other vouchers issued by a particular company and (ii) a lack of outside competition, the current version of the company store is wildly successful (and represents large blocs of general commerce).
It would be an oversimplification to say that these ubiquitous modern storefronts are "bad." Due to economies of scale, the existence of these marketplaces enable many facets of modern life, from near instant shipping to previously unimaginable variety. However, if companies are going to be in charge of markets that rival several national GDPs, we can at least call a spade a spade. "Gift cards" are just a form of company money. This piece aims to remove some of that ambiguity.
Instead of a mere print, this piece incorporates 19 Amazon gift card codes ($1/each) directly into the artwork. Based on Amazon's own terms and conditions, these gift cards will never expire. As long as the underlying gift cards are never spent, I can technically say that Jeff Bezos owes me $19. And there's nothing he or Amazon can do about it.
I can already hear my lawyer friends telling me that Jeff Bezos himself doesn't owe me anything, but that Amazon owes me $19 of goods/services on demand as long as I don't violate the terms of service. Technically, my lawyer friends would be more correct. To this I would say: This is why people don't think you are fun at parties.
For more detail on the inception of this piece, see this blog post.
NYC Admin Code § 16-118(1)(a)
Materials: A random frame I got from TJ Maxx
Special Materials: Detritus from New York City Police Department and Metropolitan Transit Authority Police
Description: The above referenced statute reads as follows (a portion of which is also inscribed around the frame):
No person shall litter, sweep, throw or cast, or direct, suffer or permit any servant, agent, employee, or other person under his or her control, to litter, sweep, throw or cast any ashes, garbage, paper, dust or other rubbish and refuse of any kind whatsoever, in or upon any street or public place, vacant lot, air shaft areaway, backyard court, park or alley.
All sourced materials were discarded in the middle of subways, streets, and other public areas. The underlying reason for the items being hung had passed. Sure, they would have eventually been picked up by the city (in theory). But couldn't you say that about any litter?
When sourcing the materials, I had to be careful, lest I get caught cleaning up the city's litter.
Quantum Billionaire
Materials: Print, calligraphy ink
Special Materials: Five single chance bearer instruments and one five chance bearer instruments (both issued by The Gaming Commission of the State of New York)
Description: Though we think of lottery tickets as worthless scraps of paper, they are, in fact, legal documents issued by the government. I jazzed up the presentation a bit.
I purchased the bearer instruments at a time where the jackpot was at roughly $1.1 billion. Even though the chances of winning the lottery are truly astronomical (the lottery is really a tax on people who are bad at math), they are not zero. Thus, there is a chance. A very very very very slight chance. But a chance nonetheless.
Typically, this chance lasts until the purchaser checks their numbers and is almost inevitably let down. However, I am not your typical lottery player. I never looked at the numbers that were drawn and I made sure to seal them off before the winning numbers came out.
In the same way that Schrödinger's cat is both alive and dead at the same time in a quantum superposition, as long as that chance exists, I am therefore both a billionaire and not a billionaire at the same time. Because I never looked at them, the quantum superposition has not yet collapsed. So, for the year that these are valid, I am a billionaire (but in only the most technical sense).