When art meets prevention
Emma Crews builds a giant vagina out of female condoms
As part of World Condom Day, Friday 16 September, members of the association “Les ami-e-s des femmes de la Libération” and the Terpan Prevention are mobilizing to raise awareness among the general public and young people about the risks of STIs and unwanted pregnancies in Poitiers.
Talking about prevention through art, this is the objective of the giant vagina, made of more than 500 condoms donated by Terpan Prevention, which will be exhibited at the Maison des Étudiants of the University of Poitiers. Inspired by Aniss Kapoor’s Queen’s Vagina at Versailles, the work Ceci n’est pas un vagin by Jon D’Arc (Emma Crews), a British artist based in Poitiers, was built in collaboration with Un Corps Power (Laureen Romégiéras) in the premises of Zo Prod, the artist collective.
“The female sex is not limited to the vagina.
It extends and unfolds all around it”, explains Emma Crews. As sexologist Arlin says so well: “The labia, the vulva mark the entrance but it is especially crowned by the master of pleasure, the true conductor of female pleasure: the Clitoris.” As a feminist, my research on female pleasure and emancipation naturally led me to the female condom, in order to discuss the possibilities regarding sex for us women, and the real rental of erogenous zones.
The giant vagina made of female condoms will then be exhibited at the Clitoris Party event that will take place at the end of November, in order to raise public awareness.
For 30 years, Terpan, the exclusive distributor in France of the female condom (Femidom ®) under the brand name So Sexy®, has always been committed to health prevention, notably by partnering with the Interceltic Festival of Lorient and the Institut Supérieur du Commerce (ISC) as part of its ISC Solirace prevention program, which consists of distributing condoms and educational materials to high school and university students. It seemed obvious to us to contribute to Emma Crews’ project,” continues Kamal Yahiaoui, head of Terpan Prevention. Solidarity, commitment, prevention and risk reduction are the values that we promote and that will punctuate the giant vagina exhibition, all with a smile.
