An Open Letter to the Asshole who Masturbated
in Front of Me on the Subway (2009)
An Open Letter to the Asshole who Masturbated in Front of Me on the Subway is a looped two-channel video installation that encourages women to take up space. The piece humourously confronts the often unvoiced incidences of public transit sexual harassment and raises questions about the gender power dynamics that make women feel unentitled to public spaces. On one screen, I struggle to climb seemingly large insurmountable stairs. The other screen, in contrast, depicts me performing a celebratory dance routine inside a moving Toronto subway train. An audio track plays my reading of the letter and viewers are encouraged to take away a paper version to leave within the subway system, further disrupting private gender discourse.
Instructions for assembling the letter:
Download here.
The letter is double-sided. Print Page 1 (seal with kiss) on one side of page.
Print Page 2 ("Dear Asshole") on the other side of the paper.
Fold along dotted lines.