Umbrella Studio
Sonia Ward, ‘Semiotics of the Bathroom’, 2020, film projection and sound, 2mins 34secs, NFS.
Sonia Ward’s work ‘Semiotics of the Bathroom’ subverts and contemporises Martha Rosler’s seminal ‘Semiotics of the Kitchen’ with an iPhone selfie-style performance. The work is influenced by performance art, performance-like behaviour on social media platforms, and the COVID-19 situation that sees performances happening online and at home. The piece reflects on the role of the mask in a time when masks are considered protective, and questions if masks (and masked performances) protect, reveal or create identities in the viewer’s mind of the performer.
Commissioned through Creative Sparks, this project receives generous support from the Regional Arts Development Fund. RADF is a partnership between the Queensland Government and the Townsville City Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
See more here: https://umbrella.org.au/sparks-semiotics/