The introductory installation brings together nine distinct bodies from different times and places. Each of these remarkable figures has a story to tell about the beliefs, practices and technologies that underlie their creation. The assembled bodies also foreshadow themes that emerge throughout the exhibition, highlighting multiple and changing definitions of the body.
An assembly is a gathering for a common purpose, such as a legislative body. The idea of assembly, the diverse bodies brought together and the legal documents that frame the installation emphasise the political implications of the ways that bodies are known and regulated. Different ways of knowing the body have a profound impact on the ways that bodies are imagined and acted upon.
