by Sarah Stolar
Uterus Bat Signal
GIF
2017
Considering the a graphic image of a uterus feels similar to a winged creature, I appropriated the concept of the Bat Signal - the distress signal calling for the superhero Batman to come save the day. Playing upon the classic narrative of the “strong man coming to the rescue,” I replaced the image of the bat with an image of a uterus; not as a call for help, but rather a call for action. To pull the static quality of a still-image projection into a contemporary aesthetic, I created a video of the uterus with a backdrop of flat colors. The video cycles through the colors of the spectrum in reference to the rainbow flag of equality, stating that this symbolic call to arms is not just for women with uteruses (including full, partial, and removed), but also for women-identified, trans, male/male-identified allies, and anyone else who will join us. The uterus also glitches and floats on top of flashing red lights, calling attention to the fragile nature of our human rights and warning the opposition of our collective power. With a direct and purposeful act of calling all to unite and fight against the assault on women, people of color, LGBTQ, Muslim, the disabled, and all who are marginalized by the patriarchy, I created a GIF to spread this call to arms across social media. The The Uterus Bat Signal was also projected of at the base of the Washington Monument the night of the Women’s March on Washington DC.
