trigger warning:  sexual assault.

WORTHLESS












Video, Installation. 2017.
9 ' x 14'
Thanks to Zack Livingston for his participation in this project.

Worthless (2017) is a video installation reflecting on sexual assault. Kaitlyn creates a caricature of the assaulter and imagines his actions, motivations, and life in an attempt to understand why he asked for scraps of her food earlier that night, but not permission to kiss her.

Video

Film is projected onto the floor plinth, bed, objects, and viewers participating in the installation.

The Story Behind Worthless


I was assaulted in my room. A roommate's friend took my friendly gestures of chatting as interest. He took my liberal talk of drawing naked models for art as filtrations. He stalked me around my apartment looking for my attention; while dressing a kitchen knife wound in the bathroom, I turned around to find him standing behind me. I didn't invite him to do this, he just did it. Naively, I ignored my gut feeling of danger. 


As I packed my bag for the studio in my room, I chatted with him. As I got up to leave, he forced a kiss on me and I returned it with a slap. He was confused and didn't understand my disgust. He said "other girls do this to me". He begged me not to tell his friend, my roommate about what happened. I told him I could do what I wanted with this information. He left. 

Journal recounts the sexual assault in bullet points.  Viewers are invited to read the account while participating in the installation. 
Noodle bowls are placed throughout the installation.  Noodles are made of fabric, dyed with tea. 

I felt the imprint of his lips on my face long after he was gone. I tried to wash away the disgusting feeling, but like Lady Macbeth, it wouldn't come clean. Even at the studio, I couldn't stop feeling disgusting.


Earlier that night, I made noodles for dinner. I chatted and ate my dinner with this man. When I finished, he asked for the scraps at the bottom of the bowl. Why did he ask permission for the scraps of my noodles, but not for my body?


Why am I worth less than a bowl of noodles?