Lewis Toumazou

Appropriating the Iconic Marilyn Monroe

I have recently become interested in the cultural female figure (feminine). How do woman define themselves? Or arguably, how are they constructed by male desires and ideals? Within this I have explored the subjects of pornography, sex, literature and popular culture. When we think about an artistic interpretation of Marilyn Monroe as a female figure and celebrity, we instantly recall Andy Warhol's 'Marilyn' screen-prints. Due to this being perhaps the first and most well known artistic depictions of Marliyn, and due to it's popularity through mass media circulation, many artists have shied away from exploring her character in more depth.

Personally, I see Warhol's interpretation of Marilyn as extremely one-dimensional when you take into consideration that he used the repetition of image through the process of screen-printing for almost all the subjects he appropriated. This isn't to say he gives an insightful depiction and opinion of Marilyn, but it definitely isn't an extensive one.

Through reading feminist theories on man's desire and the feminine construct, in texts such as 'The Dialectic of Sex' by Shulamith Firestone and Angela Carter's 'The Sadien Women', I have stumbled upon interesting and insightful theories. Alongside this I have delved into the male voice and it's dominance within literature, film and media in it's perception of females. Most notably, the works of the Marquis de Sade have highlighted the complexity of male desire to me. It is the blonde blue-eyed innocent and somewhat naive girl which reigns supreme throughout the 18th to 21st century. The reason for this is the indoctrination of women from religion through to western culture and the enforcement of the capitalist idealistic female; inferior to men yet serving to fulfil our violent erotic dreams for more power.

Above is my edited video of the iconic scene of Marliyn Monroe in 'The Seven Year Itch'. I have cropped the frame to a thin line and slowed down the track. The music, which is Marilyn Monroe singing 'Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend', has also been slowed down to synchronise with the video and the pitch lowered. I am planning on projecting this into an installation space filled with two other components, this being an extract from the Marquis de Sade's 'Justine' on one side of a wall and stills from a soft porn film called 'Justine - In the Heat of Passion' on the other; the projection played in the middle separating the two.

The intention of the video itself is an attempt to simulate the western males perception of women. By lowering Marilyn's voice and slowing down the track, she can be seen to have transformed into a man, or becomes a hermaphrodite. Thus this sinister perception of Marliyn is a threat to many men who hold themselves superior to women. It's about the victims they create from their female constructs. At the same time, through the cropping of the frame, the viewer peeks through a closed gap and is voyeur to Marilyn, who comes in and out of view throughout the clip. I will post further updates on the progress of the installation next week.