Milo Moire is a Swiss artist and model known for her nude performances and the use of her body in her art. She has an Art Academy background, but also has a degree in psychology. She considers herself to be a conceptual and performance artist, painter and psychologist.
Her latest art performance is called "Mirror Box," a performance that is meant to emulate "Touch and Tap Cinema - Peter Weibel & Valie Export" done in 1968. "Mirror Box" is a follow up to her nude protest on the Cologne New Year's Eve attacks where more than 1,000 women were sexually assaulted by a large group of unidentified men—this time focused on women's sexuality and consent by allowing strangers to touch her breasts and vagina for a 30-second time period.
Sign Reads: "Respect Us! We are not fair game even when naked!!!"
Milo wears a large mirrored sculpture over her breasts and genitals with a slight opening in the middle of it. Through this opening, strangers can put their hands inside to either touch her breasts or stroke her genitals. There is a camera inside, which is heavily censored, so others can see what happens inside the "Mirror Box."
Why is it mirrored? The audience’s reflection simultaneously becomes visual metaphor for the role reversal from "...voyeur to the object of view: a constant play of inversions analogous to our roles in the digital world."
Milo believes that women have sexuality, just like men, and should be able to practice it in a world that suppresses women from both owning their sexuality and manifesting it to its ultimate potential. And most importantly, women have the utmost right to determine where, when and how they want to be touched- and when they don't.
Milo has traveled with her performance art and protest to Amsterdam and Dusseldorf, and made her next stop to London at Trafalgar Square earlier last week. However, Milo had doubts about the UK and whether they would receive her message with the same curiosity, open-mindedness and acceptance as their European neighbors. She tweeted before the performance already expecting to be arrested in London.
Last selfies before my performance & arrest in London.
Mixed feelings. https://t.co/MnBw1tdK6w#mirrorbox #milomoire pic.twitter.com/Waas90O3AG
— Milo Moiré (@MiloMoire) June 24, 2016
Milo was arrested only an hour into her performance protest with a four-digit fine, and spent the night in jail. In Amsterdam and Dusseldorf, police only complained about the noise she was making given her megaphone but never questioned or silenced her message. After her arrest, Milo saw her detainment as an “example of the lack of unity” in Europe, adding that “laws within the continent should be regulated uniformly.” These statements arrived alongside the vote for or against Britain exiting the EU—which ended up voting to leave the Union.
But I feel as though she posed a greater concern for the UK, specifically London—what does it say about their society if her performance was a threat to their sense of order over women's sexuality and consent? And most importantly, the freedom to speak out against injustice?
Consider the fact that London (as well as other UK towns and surrounding countries) has designated historic "Speaker's Corner's" that are still used today for people to speak openly and loudly about any topic they feel needs to be heard. Perhaps Milo could have moved her performance over that specific corner of Hyde Park, London. (Note the sarcasm; Milo should be able to perform wherever she wishes.)
If you're interested in learning more about Milo, you can follow her on Twitter or visit her website!