The practice of seduction in art. How to create objects that lead astray

This project aims at answering the following question: what makes a work of art seductive? There is a current interest in seduction, evidenced by a proliferation of monographs and exhibitions on the subject. This research is concerned with the relational aspects of subject-object interaction as experienced in contemporary art, and its underlying psychosocial characteristics. Seduction is a contingent term and this project adopts the viewpoint that the meaning of objects is culturally determined.The context for this research is interdisciplinary and is located within converging fields concerned with textual and visual material. Starting with Baudrillard’s analysis of the seductive phenomenon, this project will examine three main contextual strands:

• The concept of seductive artefacts and their connection to Marx’s ‘commodity fetishism’ in relation to the contemporary culture-and-commerce debate and the commercial success of technological devices such as the iPod;

• Critical studies of Surrealist works (Oppenheim’s Breakfast in Fur, Man Ray’s Cadeau, and Duchamp’s Étant Donnés) and contemporary seductive artefacts indirectly linked to Surrealist concerns (Chema Madoz, Victoria Civera and Cathy de Monchaux);

• Relational aspects of subject-object interaction centering on psychoanalysis, particularly, Lacan’s identification of the cause of desire, the Objet Petit a. Parallels between the praxes of art-making and clinical analysis, psycho-historical studies of Surrealism and psychoanalysis’ interest in the genealogy of seduction motivate this contextual choice.

This research aims to produce a methodological innovation derived from an evaluation and synthesis of specific qualitative, psychoanalytical and creative methods (case studies of seductive objects like Juicy Salif, the iPod and Man Ray’s Cadeau, interviews evaluating subject-object interaction; the transference process; video diaries of the creative investigation). An edited version of the material produced will form part of the final submission, together with artefacts, further visual documentation and a written critical analysis and evaluation of the research process.