Lauren Nakadate Reponse

I found the lecture to be extremely inspiring because her work deals so much with connected in with those outside of the art world by making them a part of her work. I would feel uncomfortable doing the kind of work she does because I do not like approaching strangers or going over to strange men's houses. Nevertheless I am impressed that she cares about her work so much that she was willing to do this.

I would describe her work as documentation, connecting, and gutsy. Her work is a constant documentation of connections that strangers share with her. Even her early series in college is a documentation of this by photographing these women she doesn't know as they party and live lives that are opposite of what the stereotype is. Many times she uses men that the average women would not want to go into an apartment with, let alone get in their underwear with. She says that being a stranger and going up to someone and asking them to have this experience with her was "heartbreaking and funny". She said that many these men in her early work did not have a female presence in their life so her connections with them was important.

Her most compelling work to me was the OPPS! video in which she danced with strangers that she approached in parking lots. The reaction that they men had were funny but also compelling because it was obvious they were enjoying the company. Watching the connection they shared through dancing to a pop song was extremely intriguing.

My question about if she tries to have a narrative in her still work since she also working in video was answered. Her work does not really have a narrative in her photographs, instead they are a documentation of reality or like with her pin up pictures, they are a statement and also about connections due to the finger prints. My other question had dealt with if her work had any feminists undertones since she was in her underwear for most of the pictures. For the most part she is in her underwear for reasons other than a feminist attitude. She seems to see nakedness as another connection between two people.