Drinkmilk Sensitivity, zoomable, sensious, tappable, velocious, consumption, exposure, hyper, touchable

Can you describe your research project?

We are researching methods of dealing with the hyper-culture of new media and the internet. We want to find a way to reintroduce the sensual, the velocious and the sensitive. Currently, our internet sphere lives off of the pornographic (hyper-sexual) which is influencing both physical and psychic interactions. We want to suggest a way of seeing that doesn’t fixate on the product or the instantaneous (pornographic). Rather, spend time with a suggestion of something that could leave your mind to wonder (sensual). Something that provokes the thought of time, an ambiguity to its use of method. We are attempting to change the way in which exposure is felt, altering the vastness of digital exposure into one that’s physical and subtle. Exposure can be felt in a sensual way (the imagined), or slowly (a brine). Currently, we are in residence at Scope BLN, where we will form our research into conceptual sculptural works and writing.

Why have you chosen this topic?

This topic feels pressing to us. Our generation has grown-up within a world where new media and smart-technology have always been present. We have been faced with a “hyper” world where everything is excess, fast and new. We feel that this hyper-internet age has created a lack of sensuality and sensitivity. The people of our generation are living in a pornographic sphere, where stillness and patience no longer hold weight.

We wanted to explore this, but more than just highlight what is negative about it, we chose the topic because we feel as though there are a lot of beautiful intricacies about it. There are questions to be asked that beg for an answer that isn’t found within information- ways of responding that do hold stillness and require patience.

What research methods do you use?

One of our longest methods of research has been the creation of an OnlyFans platform. Here we have been posting performance works for the past 16 months. This research method is specific to this project. We wanted to create within a world where hypersexuality was expected of us, to understand how we could subvert it.

Writing is an extremely important part of our research. We write both in poetic and essayistic styles, often combining the two. As a way of further iterating what our physical work explores, but also as a body of work itself. We often create larger documents that further investigate the details of the meanings behind our physical pieces.

The creation of our physical works is research in itself. We like to use methods of making that are laborious, time-consuming and physically demanding, a slow learning process. We value understanding a material or medium by having our bodies feel a literal impact in the process. We feel that this creates an intimacy between ourselves and the body of work.

In what way did your research affect your artistic practice?

Our personal practice is affected deeply by our research. Our bodies are often a central theme within the work we explore and this lends itself to hypersexualization and censorship when presenting it. We became very aware of the desensitizing effects of the infosphere that asks you to consume without the presence of the sensual.

Specific to this body of work, using OnlyFans as our research platform, it created a feeling of resistance towards using digital tools in our sculptural works. It made us question how we could create something that speaks on the digital without directly using it.

What are you hoping your research will result in, both personally and publicly?

With this research, along with all the work we create, we are hoping for nothing other than a gut response; both personally and publicly.