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Raw Fish Salad; exploring gender role play, alternative sexualities and musical performance. 

by Káren Hunter

ABSTRACT

This dissertation argues that the Raw Fish Salad show contributed to creating an alternative artistic aesthetic in the mid 90's in Auckland, New Zealand. I will show how participants experimented with definitions of self image and expressed issues surrounding alternative sexualities by performing subversive works of art to a supportive audience. Introducing the notion of retrospective participant observation I explore my own experiences and my engagement with others during that time, in order to remember and celebrate Auckland's recent history of feminist performance art. In addition to relevant feminist theorists, I will reference artworks from my personal archive, published materials and unpublished memories to create an alternative historical narrative of music and performance art in Auckland. I will explore the socio political context of the Raw Fish Salad phenomenon and argue that by providing regular access to a professionally run stage for over two and a half years, I contributed to reprogramming internalised negative gender conditioning for women artists.

 Acknowledgements

 I would like to thank Stephen Small and Kirsten Zemke of the University of Auckland and my mother Dale Hunter for encouraging me to write this dissertation.

 I would also like to thank all of the women who participated in Raw Fish Salad.

(Listed in appendix A)