What is obscenity, and how do we define it? What is considered to be abject and beyond a tolerable level of taste?

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MY BOX explores how the context and audience define the parameters of obscenity and how those boundaries swell and contract depending on whether text or image is used. Five short poems were composed onto toilet roll (one letter per sheet) and bound into handmade books. These were then installed in a specially constructed tiled room, built to resemble a small bathroom. Participants were asked to enter one person at a time whilst wearing latex gloves and ear protectors.

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MY BOX allows the participant a sense of privacy in an attempt to make them feel detached from their surroundings; in this case a large gallery space with many other exhibits. Those waiting outside were permitted to peek through the reverse peephole at the viewer inside. Whilst most participants were aware that they were being watched, the physical absence of anyone else enabled them to respond to the piece without reflecting the reactions of a peer or other participant.

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A sign attached to the door detailed that only people over 18 would be allowed into the exhibit, as well as informing the viewer that obscene materials were inside. This resulted in MY BOX being broken into several times during brief periods when gallery assistants were not present