Park Avenue Armory Presents BLOOM By Nao Bustamante This September

Chicana performance and visual artist Nao Bustamante prototypes a new vision for feminist autonomy in the second iteration of her project BLOOM, a cross-disciplinary investigation centered around the redesign of the speculum and history of the pelvic examination and rooted in both research and object-making, presented at Park Avenue Armory on Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 3pm as part of the organization's Making Space public programming series.

Speculums have shown up in archaeological digs as far back as 79 AD amidst the dust of Pompeii; however, the apparatus most people experience today in vaginal exams is credited to the physician James Marion Sims, sometimes called the "father of American gynecology," a moniker earned on the backs of experiments conducted on enslaved women. As part of her BLOOM project, Bustamante works to open dialogue about the vaginal speculum's history and to workshop the most significant redesign of the tool since 1943, holding particular resonance in the wake of recent political attacks on the health of those undergoing pelvic examinations.

Joined by musician and performance artist Geo Wyex, interdisciplinary artist Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, and composer and reiki master Pamela Martínez, Bustamante dematerializes Sims in a new performance that is part séance, part pageant to make way for a new era of examination of the device as well as its patriarchal inventors. Anthropomorphized speculum puppets take the stage to share their backgrounds usage, and the biographies of their patent holders, in a mise-en-scene of Bustamante's object, video, and sound installations.

And while the desired result is an invitation to think about ways to make the tool less unpleasant for the millions of patients who encounter it each year, the work also boldly focuses on the speculum's impact on timely issues of health practices for those with uteruses.

The project was originally inspired by a routine gynecology visit and pelvic exam the artist experienced in 2011. "For me the projects that come to fruition are usually those that stick in my head. I call those projects 'brain burrs.' It's a thought that won't go away and sits there, in some cases, for years," said Bustamante. "Like many women, I wondered why the medical industry cannot create more comfortable apparatus for such basic procedures."

Bustamante developed the idea into an exhibition and performance at Artpace in San Antonio, Texas during her 2021 residency, using her unique style as well as dialogue with physicians and medical professionals to create her sculptures and models. This first iteration of BLOOM was open to the public at Artpace in the summer of 2021.

The wide-ranging project will culminate in 2024, using Bustamante's artistic process and design to create a new vaginal speculum available for use by doctors and nurses across the United States. In the fall of 2021, Bustamante received an Advancing Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences Research and Creative Grant from University of Southern California, which will allow her to engage with patent drawers, 3D print technology specialists, and material scientists to hone and develop her speculum prototypes for eventual widespread usage.

The 2022 Making Space Public Programming series curated by Tavia Nyong'o began with Captcha: Dancing, Data, Liberation, an artist salon on February 20, 2022 anchored by interdisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome's Drill Hall production Assembly. Captcha participants also included Afro-Latina MC and activist Ms.Boogie; multidisciplinary artist and capoeirista Puma Camillê; Yale scholar and dancer/choreographer Aimee Meredith Cox; performance artist and poet Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes; Columbia University English Professor Saidiya Hartman; artist, curator, and composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe; and artist and scholar Kiyan Williams. On May 15, 2022, Queer Hip Hop Cypher explored the queer origins and aesthetics of hip hop through discussion, film, performance, and food, with performances by Astraea award-winning duo Krudxs Cubensi and a panel discussion on the queer underground hip hop scene led by author and scholar Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls. The Armory honored and celebrated Juneteenth with an immersive art installation Archer Aymes Lost and Found Retrospective: A Juneteenth Exhibition, curated by Carl Hancock Rux, with Tavia Nyong'o and Dianne Smith, and featuring a concert performance by mezzo soprano Alicia Hall Moran and pianist Aaron Diehl. This event was one component of a three-part series curated by Carl Hancock Rux in commemoration of Juneteenth, in collaboration with Harlem Stage and Lincoln Center as part of the Festival of New York. Skillshare, on August 21, 2022, invited audiences to participate in open studios, workshops, discussions, and activations led by Armory Artists-in-Residence, Teaching Artists, Youth Corps, and partners inspired by the tradition of artists helping artists and engaging in mutual aid.

Tickets at $25 (plus fees) are available for purchase online at armoryonpark.org or through the Box Office in person at 643 Park Avenue or by phone at (212) 933-5812, from 10am to 6pm, Monday through Friday.

Health and safety while at the Armory is of the utmost importance. The Armory requires that all ticket holders be fully vaccinated. Upon entry to the building, ticket holders will be required to show proof of full vaccination (the New York State Excelsior Pass or a hard copy or photo of your vaccination card), as well as a government-issued photo ID. The Armory will continue to follow all city, state, and CDC guidelines in regard to COVID-19 safety protocols. All patrons and staff are required to wear masks while inside the Armory.