Alison Pirie, video + performance artist

Video still from "The Pelvic Theatre Presents The History of Hysteria" (2018)

__underdog__ (x+c): What is an underdog?

*Alison: An underdog is someone who does not start out with the means to reach their full potential, whether those means be financial, physical, mental, but who gets there through hard work and determination, using more creative and interesting tactics that lead to the most innovative and engaging work.

__underdog__: Are you an artist? Why or why not~

Alison: I am an artist because I look at everyday life and current events as fodder to create new work that creates or adds to discourse and engages the senses in new ways.

__underdog__: Are you part of a “scene”? What is the scene and how do you view it?

Alison: I don’t know that I am part of a “scene” necessarily but I do feel that I am part of a community of performance and video artists in New York that are working with similar themes to me. My work would be classified in the scene of “identity politics” or “body politics” or “feminist art” and I am proud to be actively part of those conversations.

__underdog__: What do you believe in?

Alison: I believe in the power of language and discourse, equality, building community, kindness, education, and access to affordable and informative healthcare for all.

__underdog__: Is there a philosophy you apply to art making or life in general?

Alison: Since I make work from the personal standpoint of a white, cis-woman making work about [identity] and body politics, I am constantly checking myself to ensure that the language I use in my statements is inclusive, that the work speaks from a personal place rather than trying to speak to some sort of universal truth or experience. In my life in general I strive to be kind and to be a source of support to those around me and make people feel heard, seen and cared for. I view these actions as an extension of my artistic efforts, and I employ them in my curatorial projects as well.

__underdog__: Where does your work come from? What drives you and your practice?

Alison: My practice predominantly is informed by the history of female hysteria and its relationship to current issues. I am often inspired by language, specifically language pertaining to the female body, sexuality, mental health, etc. My practice is deeply engaged with research and the texts and images I source inform my work. I strive to create new understandings of contemporary issues through a feminist, historical lens.

__underdog__: What challenges do you face and how do you deal with them?

Alison: Physically I deal with a lot of reproductive health challenges like polycystic ovaries. Mentally I struggle with anxiety. I am still working out how I deal with these challenges, however I find that channeling these challenges into my work— often using humor, helps make them at least feel lighter and more manageable.

__underdog__: Please share any biographical or identity information you’d like us to know.

Alison: I am 22 and from Southern California.

__underdog__: Is your work important? Explain?

Alison: I think that my work is important in the larger discussions of the female body, body politics, reproductive health and female sexuality, but of course cannot speak for everyone. It is important to me because it helps me to navigate my own relationship with my body and sexuality, and related current issues, and if it also feels important to someone else as a result then great. It is important to me that the takeaway from my art be that the viewer learns something new, develops a new understanding on a topic or opens themselves to a new perspective.

__underdog__: How would you describe your work to someone who can’t perceive it with the main sense it applies to.

Alison: Since I work predominantly in video, if I had to describe my work to someone who was visually-impaired I would describe it thematically as feminist, absurdist performance and stress more on the humorous elements and the research the work speaks to rather than the visual components.

__underdog__: CATS OR DOGS?!?!

Alison: CATS

*Alison's name is typed here in red to help some readers distinguish between her responses and our questions. If you have suggestions on how we can increase the accessibility of our "questionings" or any content on our website, please email us at: underdogmagazining@gmail.com.