How do you get out of work mode? You’re probably always inspired by things but when you want to shut-off, where do you go? What do you do?
I like to travel especially to southeast Asia and I like to go to the opera and to dance performances.

Also, I noticed a little drawing in the window of your door?
That’s a sketch that Rubin Toledo did when I did my show “Love and War: The Weaponized Woman” and so that’s his representation of Joan of Arc as a weaponized woman.

And those two corset prints?
Well, I worked on corsets for 20 years. I did the show, but I also did a book that I’d spent years working on, and so in the process I collected posters and trade cards and other images of corsets; this is from about 1905 and the one in the outer-office is from the later 20th century.

Have you yourself worn corsets in public to events and things?
Oh sure, I mean when I did my corset show I had a custom made corset which was a facsimile of an 1880′s corset, but in black leather. I remember some journalist saying, “Doesn’t that hurt?” and I’m like, “No no, it’s perfectly comfortable, but my high-heels are killing me!”

I’m always reading interviews about actresses fainting on these period movie film sets from wearing such tight corsets.
Well, you can faint if it’s too tight, there’s no question. People did that, on the other hand, speaking as someone who’s fainted ever since I was eight years old, I faint at the sight of a hypodermic needle, at the vet .. all kinds of things like that. I’ve fainted all over the world!

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