by Tracey Cooper. Waikato Times 13 October 2011
Revelations that a New York artist is about to give birth in front of a live audience as part of her new installation The Birth of Baby X makes you wonder.
The New York Post has dubbed Marni Kotak “the Preggo Performer”, but the performance artist hopes life itself will be the star of her latest work………………
In 2002, ”Nikki”, a porn actor, wanted to film the birth of her child [in the neonatal unit of Waikato Public Hospital], which was to be shown in a pornographic movie [directed by pornographer Steve Crow] with the planned title Ripe.
No-one considered that birth to be the highest form of art.
There was outrage and CYF even applied to the High Court for guardianship of the unborn child.
In his 45-page written judgment Justice Heath said he was satisfied that a demand for pornographic material focusing on aspects of pregnancy and birth existed.
The name given to this particular sexual fetish is maiesophilia.
His decision meant Waikato Hospital had to back down on a decision to ban filming on its premises, but then Health Minister Annette King stepped in, using her statutory powers to ban the filming.
“It just offends me,” she said.
“It is not appropriate for a public hospital to be used to make pornography. I’ve had absolutely 100 percent support in this one.”
One such supporter was Waikato University psychology professor Jane Ritchie, who described the prospect of filming the birth for a porn movie as repugnant.
“It is not like she is doing it in New York,” she said, clearly unaware that nearly 10 years later, someone would do it in New York, albeit not for a porn movie, but still for a public performance.”
Whatever the merits or otherwise of porn movies being considered art, the story does present an interesting view of the different approaches in the two countries to what is considered art.
Film maker Steve Crow said the movie idea was “just something that evolved”.
“The idea for a film from conception right through to birth.”
If that was said by anyone other than a porn movie maker, it would likely be considered an entirely valid proposition.
If Crow had said the movie would “recontextualise the everyday act of giving birth to a child into a work of performance art” he might have got away with it.
In the end, the filming never took place and Nikki and her “porn baby” – as critics dubbed the child – got on with their lives in a way that Kotek would likely consider to be a continuing performance.
“Real life is the best performance art,” she said.
Kotak has no fear for her or her baby’s safety, despite the unusual birth environment, confident the gallery is as safe as a hospital. She’s already planned her next work, the inevitable Raising Baby X, in which she will “re-contextualise the everyday act of raising a child into a work of performance art”.
It’s unlikely you’d get away with that in this country.
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/life-style/arts/5777681/Art-and-porn-divide
Alcohol Abuse: Its harmful nature and consequences
ALCOHOL ABUSE is saddling the New Zealand health system with “entirely avoidable costs” and causing despair among staff who pick up the pieces, Wellington health leaders say.
In an open letter to The Dominion Post, 14 of the 18 members of Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley district health boards have called for “a community-wide conversation” about alcohol, saying the health system can only do so much on its own.
The board members – who are voted in by the public or appointed by the Government – have added their voices to those of staff at both organisations, who have relentlessly decried the end effects of alcohol abuse.
Alcohol, as well as contributing to patients showing up at emergency departments, is responsible for a significant proportion of cancers, organ diseases and other long-term illnesses that the health system treats.
“Community agencies battle with other costs – broken relationships, poor work records, car crashes, domestic violence, money problems and heartbreaking wasted potential” said emergency department doctor Linda Head.
The group penned the open letter in support of the Cannons Creek community in Porirua which objected to the relicensing of local store Thirsty Liquor, near Russell School, and the manager’s certificate. The SPCS supports those who raised public awareness of the issue by engaging in a peaceful street march and wrote letters to the papers expressing their views.
Capital & Coast board member Judith Aitken said that “the regulatory regime that’s in place [to contol alcohol licensing, advertising etc] and is being considered by the Government, is completely inadequate”.
The Society for Promotion of Community Standards Inc., a registered charity with the Charities Commission (CC20268), has as one of its objects for which it is established
“To focus attention on the harmful nature and consequences of [among other things] the ABUSE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS” (taken from section 2d of its Constitution)
It supports community groups speaking out about matters relevant to the moral and spiritual welfare of society, including “the harmful nature and consequences of sexual promiscuity, pornography, violence, fraud, dishonesty in business, exploitation … and other forms of moral corruption.” (S. 2d)
On the positive side, the Society was also established “To foster public awareness on the benefits to social, economic and moral welfare of the maintenance and promotion of good community standards, including supporting enforcement agencies to uphold such standards as set out in law and to encourage condstructive debate and discussion in this area.”
For this reason, individual members have made submissions over the years to parliamentary select committees and other forums such as the Law Commission – looking at proposed changes to our alcohol laws. The Society agrees with Capital & Coast Board member Judith Aitken that our current regulatory laws on alcohol are woefully inadequate. Enforcement agencies need to be more proactive in enforcing the law and our courts need to deliver sentences that are commensurate with the offences/crimes committed – i.e. sentencing in line with the intention of the law – they MUST act ass a real deterrent to law breaking.
Family First NZ, a registered charity with the Charities Commission, has been calling for some years for a raising of the drinking age. It made a submission to the Law Commission’s Inquiry calling for the purchase age to be lifted to 20. This call, supported by many community groups, and one that was included in the Law Commission’s original recommendationds, has been rejected by parliament.