Date of Award
Spring 5-31-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Ceramics
First Advisor
Shoji Satake
Second Advisor
Katy Schimert
Third Advisor
Smita Sen
Abstract
This thesis examines the struggle for bodily autonomy through the lens of contemporary art, focusing on 507, a kinetic installation by Yilin (Rebecca) Sun. At the heart of this work lies a powerful meditation on the emotional and political dimensions of reproductive responsibility. In a world where women’s rights over their own bodies are frequently contested, 507 becomes both a vessel of remembrance and a visual act of resistance. It channels the often-silenced experiences of women into a shared space of reflection, mourning, and confrontation.
Rather than offering straightforward answers, 507 presents an enigmatic title and a symbolic language that demand interpretation. The work refrains from didacticism, instead inviting viewers to engage with themes of loss, control, vulnerability, and resilience. This paper explores how 507 resonates with broader discourses surrounding the governance of women’s bodies—by states, societies, and cultural norms—and reveals the enduring influence of systemic and cultural forces on reproductive autonomy.
Through the convergence of motion, materiality, and data, 507 transforms abstract statistics into a emotional and visual experience. It brings visibility to the intimate cost of reproductive regulation and challenges the viewer to bear witness to what is often unseen or unspoken. In doing so, the installation becomes more than art—it becomes a site of collective memory, a quiet reckoning, and an unflinching demand to restore dignity, choice, and agency to women’s lives.
Recommended Citation
Sun, Yilin, "Body Choice of Women-507" (2025). Masters Theses. 1521.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1521
Creative Commons License
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