With a deft combination of unobtrusive documentary camera work and near-hallucinogenic theatrical sequences, Eva Küpper‘s debut film reveals a fascinating segment of gender terrorist and body art performer Jon Cory’s (a.k.a. Rose Wood’s) journey. Working by day restoring furniture, Rose performs up to five nights a week stirring up applause and controversy.

Quickly discovering that audiences not only demanded but fed on a certain level of transgression challenged Cory’s performances to become more confrontational verging on direct-action: think ’70s extreme performance art / Viennese Actionism / slasher horror film. An integral component of Cory’s gender terrorism is “the speed at which information is given” which causes an internal shock or stirring for the audience that usually brings down the house.

Dispelling hard views of gender and gender roles, Cory embodies performance in everyday life—as Küpper documents life pre- and post-breast implant we take the journey as well. Especially touching is the support and love shown by his Jewish mother. Intimately shocking and wildly funny, this film embodies many sides of a manifold personality. With the physical changes of the fragile human body, the fluidity and possibilities of being becomes more and more apparent.

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In Search of Avery Willard dir Cary Kehayan 2012 USA 24 min

Who was Avery Willard? Photographer, filmmaker, writer, publisher, leatherman, pornographer…this short uncovers the life and work of a groundbreaking but perhaps forgotten artist.