jewelia by herself...

The title page says "written by jewelia Margueritta Cameroon, Window Rock,
Navajo Reservation, July 5, 1999.

"Performed by her at the 1999 Alternative Photography International
Symposium ... Sante Fe, New Mexico, July 8, 1999."

The next page, "Post-Performance notes," explains that "i plan to rewrite
the script for a broader critique and audience during the next year as i
recover from surgery."

The page after that is written by Dick Sullivan, whose remarks include...

"As Jewelia describes it, she has spent the better part of her life in the
body of a man which she is now in the process of correcting. Her
performance covered a wide range of topics [including] her struggles with
her identity.... One attendee called it 'self indulgent.' Hmm, isn't a
lot of good art self indulgent? Yes, but most of us try to hide it."

Photos show Jewelia in performance as "Imagine Mei," who showed up because
Jewelia was late, having "female" problems."

Jewelia shows up (with long brown hair). The last photo on the page is
Jewelia with her arms around Dick Sullivan, who says, "Gee, if Dad could
see me now!"

Page 3 is titled "The Characters," who include

Imagine Mei, "trained as a cultural psychologist... nervous and a bit
disoriented."

Richard Head is "an old conservative male, straight photographer,"
representing, we surmise, the original of Jewelia.

j.che Poor Cunt is called "a radical liberal butch amazon/guerilla street
artist" who "rails against dick head's dicktatorialism," while wearing "a
black 3/4 length leather coat that is loose on her nude frame."

"jewelia is absent-minded, unreliable, easily scared, and unconfident..."
she sits at her make-up bureau in only a white slip, bra, and panties.
however at first, dick head's tie is draped around her neck," continuing
for 18 lines of 9 point type, punctuated as above.

semiotic jewelia "refers to the outside jewelia that culture tends to
favor and perceive -- in a sense a 'drag transsexual performer'... She is
dressed to the hilt in sequins, cosmetics, silver sandals, stockings...
she is flamboyant, excessive, exciting, and forward, and excessively
sexual. she loves an audience and craves intimate attention in the arts
or most anywhere."

Page 6 is hard to follow, but includes a note that "the general overview
is that we have a bit of confusion up front because the 'wrong' person
shows up and we quickly transition into the 'main body' of the
performance...as [Richard Sullivan] sits down and Mei takes the stage..."

on Page 7, Richard Sullivan introduces jewelia as "one of the most
exhuberant and flamboyant artist's [sic] working with alternative
photography these days..." But she doesn't appear... Mei appears. Susan
appears, and more explanations. On page 10, Mei explains that jewelia is
having "female problems" and has "gone to the GYN," followed by discussion
supposed to be ad lib "as if intending that the audience won't overhear."

There follows some strained dialog between Sullivan and
Mei (Is that insulting? ye gods i'll mail you a copy. Page 11.)
Maybe you had to be there: "she busts open the tic tacs and
some fly causing her to voice an aggressive exasperation that she directs
with her gaze at the candy dispenser while she blurts out the following
words -- if not for the visuals -- her words would be taken to be very
strong -- in her meaning."

page 17 is Tape/Slides 1

The tape is "the coming out story -- in my case -- of the transsexual...
The details... will be borrowed by the various characters that follow."

Page 18 is by "Richard Head (Dick)" who says things like "alternative
Photography...it just aint what it used to be!.... I'm a college
vale-DICK-torian.... WHIP-Herr, SNAP-Herr..."

On page 20 he ends a rant by "expressing increasing agitation... and
'that's what's happened since they let these radical feminists and
LESBIANS run the asylu...uh...our art istittions.'" Page 22 similar, "My
friends call me Dick." page 23 "MASTER-BATES'... I mean... GATES!" page 24
"TAKES a BIG Man... to fill these pants!"

There follows some stuff I don't understand, then page 26 by j. che'
Poor-Cunt, whose opening line is "Dick Head!" More about dick Heads is
followed by various stage instructions, eg:

"Thrusting pelvis out toward audience, ripping coat open with both
hands, and then smacking right hand to crotch in a deliberate grasp, while
left hand holds coat back to keep it open at bottom, she gyrates while
gripping a large crushing handful o'penis scrotum that is pushed up by
the grip as she graps her entire groin... " and so forth.

Phrases like "COCK YOUR SHUD-TER," and "you don't think Mapplethorpe
stuffed that bullwhip up his ass, all by his pretty little self do ya?" on
and on to page 36, "TOO CONFUSING... first ol' Dick Head, then Poor
Cunt..." etc.

On page 41 she "asks loudly to herself as she realizes suddenly an
important item's missing) ...WHERE'S MY VAGINA?"" Discussion continues...
to page 43, where she remarks that "this semiotic version is one that
caters to/exhuberantly uses the cultural spectacle of the popular gender
freak."

In the last line on page 44, Jewelia says she "has attempted to make the
[point] that performance never stops -- by blending the performance into
the everyday and her other media.,)

But I, your editor, said the same thing in a lot fewer words.

Love & kisses.

Judy
Received on Sat Mar 12 03:28:09 2005