Reclamation: A Beautiful Word for a Beautiful Thing by Katrin Moye

Katrin Moye has long been fascinated by the immense negative power of this shocking word. She has observed how people often find it physically challenging to say the word out loud. Given that it is a noun describing a functional part of every child-producing human body, she questions why—despite modern freedom of expression and a science-based understanding of the world—it still retains such potency to shock and outrage.

Curious about its origins, Moye began researching the history of the word and was surprised by what she discovered. According to Dr Jenni Nuttall, an Oxford academic specialising in mediaeval literature, “cunt” was simply the common term for what is now referred to as the “vagina,” dating back at least to the 11th century. It appeared in numerous medical textbooks and was used non-professionally as a neutral descriptor, with extensive written evidence supporting its usage as far back as pre-Chaucerian times.

Nuttall identifies the moment when “cunt” became one of the most reviled words in the English language: the late 18th century. In 1785, Francis Grose published A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, a collection of slang terms, in which he described the word as “a nasty name for a nasty thing.” This characterisation led to its removal from family dictionaries and textbooks, cementing its status as the ultimate taboo word. From that point on, “cunt” evolved into what Nuttall refers to as a “misogynistic snarl.”

Moye finds it curious that a once-innocent anatomical term was seized upon by an 18th-century patriarch and consigned to its now-infamous position as a word that must not be uttered. In response, she created this albarello jar as an attempt to reclaim the word for all “us cunt-owners,” restoring it to its original meaning—free of vicious intent and misogyny. Through this piece, she seeks to defuse the power of the word as a profanity and return it to its historical role as a simple descriptor of an extraordinary part of the human body.

To accompany the word, Moye incorporated decorative illustrations of figs and fig leaves. The word “fig” was commonly used as slang for female genitalia in the 18th century, while the fig leaf, historically, has been used in art to conceal supposedly shameful parts of the body. Wanting the piece to be both beautiful and proud, she created it on a large scale and covered it with intricate decoration. The letters are intentionally oversized, allowing only one letter to be read at a time—a slight concession to those who may be easily shocked. However, through the piece’s beauty, Moye hopes to encourage reflection on the idea of “a beautiful word for a beautiful thing.”

Albarello jar

Earthenware, underglaze, transparent glaze

32H x 15D cm

2024

Photo credit: Roy McCready