“Alua’s real anatomical model has not existed until now: we should ask ourselves why.”
- A hyper-realistic Alu with its interior and exterior layers is created by Juncal Altzugarai Zurimendi (1981, Bilbao). She is a specialist in pelvic floor and sexology, as well as a physiotherapist. The Alooa project has launched the tool for use in the educational field and in the studies and professions related to the body, as well as for learning about pleasure and personal anatomy. In a small sculpture, a great piece that affects more than half the world.
How do you make a hyper-realistic alu? We've tried many ways to design all the textures that we had a lot of difficulties. The particularity of the aloo is that it is
real both from the outside and from the inside, from the chest to the end of the vagina. Mold and material complexity has been one and a half years until the result is achieved. I introduced it at the end of October for professionals, and it's now out into the world. He had been around for ten years.
Why? When he taught workshops, courses, etc. I didn't have an anatomical model
on the side; just a masturbating man, who was raging me. I often work with women who are victims of sexual violence. I started out because of my need to look for a hyperrealistic anatomical model, but I knew it was also from other professionals. I met a woman from Barcelona, who makes a hyper-realistic sculpture, in Spain there are only seven. He really liked the project, and so we started working in 2020. It has been a road of almost two years. When I was invited to a Chicago University Congress, I realized there were no models either, and their universities have a lot of money, because it's the leading country.
"You talk a lot about feeling, but where is the desire? Sometimes you don't like it and many women disconnect pleasure."
Yours is a real anatomical model, a courageous decision. What reception have you had? Awesome. The presentation was attended by UPV anatomy teachers, midwives, pelvic floor fission, nurses... They flipped with the model. I was afraid at first. I do not understand that until 2022 there is
no real anatomical model of the shirt: we should ask ourselves why. For many women it is also difficult to name a thymus and analyze and see what to say. Why do we tell children that instead of pimples or patches, alludes or vulva? What is not named or displayed does not exist. In today's anatomical models, our bodies are objects of desire or our bodies are infantilized.
Is there still a lack of self-knowledge of bodies and pleasures? My mission is to teach women to meet, name, explore and enjoy. Instead of being the object or feeling the other, be the owner of your pleasure. This is not
a matter for previous generations, many young women still have that feeling. Many women when they connect to the body discover it a lot. Our nervous system blocks memories that we don’t want to see: many women are disconnected because they have been victims of many things, because of their childhood experiences, because of obstetric violence… There are many melons to open and many are normalized, that is the most serious thing. There's a lot of talk about feeling, but where is the desire? Sometimes you don't despair and many women disconnect their pleasure. That is seen a lot in the consultations and I am very sad. This project is an excuse to talk about all these things, it's not an anatomical model.
What would you like me to do with Alooa? Let self-knowledge be a
reality. Many women dare not look at their own paw. Starting with the anatomical model is a big advance on occasion. They lose fear and disgust because some feel disgust on their genitals. The interior of the alua is an unexplored territory: what is the touch at the end of our vagina? The urethra is also discovering the balloon. We worry a lot about finding hard things when we touch the interiors. We are frightened, because women have very interiorized the bad: we are always too thin or thick, it smells bad for menstruation or sweat… The messages they send us are always to suggest that we are poorly made. That is why my main objective is to extend self-knowledge to different areas and generations.
Thus, in addition, all medical students will have resources to work with mime. Gynecologists, for example, have very internalized touching the bodies in any way, without knowing the patient's situation. The solution is not for the gynecologist to say “be quiet”. This anatomical model should serve to work with mime and tenderness. Why do they put a sheet on the gynecologist, for example? To disconnect and feel that it is not part of our body. That is also violence for me: our body must bring trust rather than fear. In the dentist, we have nothing to cover our eyes so we don't see the tornos. How do we normalize that?
Convent of Gordexola
"I wanted to make the beloved convent in the chapel. It maintains the appearance of the church and I presented it on the altar. It was formerly a closing convent, where women could not leave. My wish was also to give new meaning to that church and to that place, and that is why I did not want to do so in Bilbao. Imagine the disconnect these nuns had with their bodies and pleasures. In addition, everything comes out of Gordexola: four women are trained for this project and there are great demands to be prepared. It is a very handmade process, made with special materials, which we will work on request since all models are handmade. You can contact us via the website www.alooa.eus."
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