Aline Olmos

Visible Intimacy

Vaginal discharge is often a source of shame, but Aline Olmos wants to destigmatise it. Just as children see recognisable shapes in clouds, so too can various objects be seen in these bodily secretions. By embroidering the outline in the crotch of a clean pair of underwear with conductive yarn, this phenomenon assumes an oracular character and predictive meaning.

Olmos created the work as part of her DAS Theatre master’s degree at the Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance. She presented two pairs of underwear side by side – one with discharge and one with embroidery. The embroidery is made with half stitches of viscose yarn and a conductive thread, which turns the pattern into a play button. When pressed, the oracle’s cryptic words can be heard through a headset.

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Photos by Aline Olmos en Milagro Elstak