# Poetica Vaginal
**Poetica Vaginal** is a 1985 artwork by the American artist [Joe Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-davis) in which recorded [vaginal contractions](https://www.edgepedia.org/vaginal-contraction) of ballerinas were translated into signals and transmitted toward nearby star systems using [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)'s Millstone radar.[1](https://www.archive-digitalart.eu/database/general/work/poetica-vaginal.html) Davis, an artist who works with high-voltage electricity and space-bound signals, conceived the project after realizing that no images of human genitals or reproduction had been sent into space; he wanted the "others" in space to understand how human reproduction works.[2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and year | Joe Davis, 1985[1](https://www.archive-digitalart.eu/database/general/work/poetica-vaginal.html) |
| Source material | Recorded vaginal contractions of ballerinas[1](https://www.archive-digitalart.eu/database/general/work/poetica-vaginal.html) |
| Instrument | A "vaginal detector": a water-filled polyallomer centrifuge tube on a hard nylon base with a very sensitive pressure transducer[2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/) |
| Signal conversion | Contractions translated into text, music, phonetic speech, and radio signals, with electronic music software matching contraction frequencies to English speech[2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/) |
| Transmission targets | Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti, per the Archive of Digital Art; the UCSD account says the signals reached four sunlike stars[1](https://www.archive-digitalart.eu/database/general/work/poetica-vaginal.html) • [2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/) |
| Outcome | The Air Force shut the transmission down after about 20 minutes[2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/) |
## The detector and the signal
The recordings were made with a device built in a laboratory of mechanical engineering. It consisted of a water-filled polyallomer centrifuge tube mounted on a hard nylon base containing a very sensitive pressure transducer, sensitive enough to detect voice, heartbeat, and respiration alongside the contractions.[2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/) Davis then translated the contractions into text, music, phonetic speech, and radio signals, using electronic music software to match the frequency of the contractions to English speech.[2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/)
## Transmission
The Archive of Digital Art describes the project as broadcasting this interpretation of "human conception" to the [Epsilon Eridani](https://www.edgepedia.org/epsilon-eridani) and [Tau Ceti](https://www.edgepedia.org/tau-ceti) star systems using MIT's Millstone radar.[1](https://www.archive-digitalart.eu/database/general/work/poetica-vaginal.html) A separate account states that Davis transmitted the sounds to the nearest star systems and that the Air Force shut the transmission down after about 20 minutes, though a few minutes of the material did reach four sunlike stars.[2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/) The two accounts agree on the method and the interruption but differ on how the destinations are described.
## Context
Poetica Vaginal belongs to Davis's practice of combining scientific apparatus with art, and it is documented in media art archives as a work of 1985.[1](https://www.archive-digitalart.eu/database/general/work/poetica-vaginal.html) • [2](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/) It is distinct from the feminist "vaginal" and vulva-iconography art of the 1970s, such as Mari Chordà's painting series *Vaginals*, which arose from a different tradition of reclaiming the female body.[3](https://galeriamayoral.com/exhibitions/24-mari-chorda.-a-pioneering-feminist-artist-barcelona/)
## References
1. [Joe Davis – »Poetica Vaginal«, Archive of Digital Art (ADA)](https://www.archive-digitalart.eu/database/general/work/poetica-vaginal.html)
2. [Joe Davis: Poetica Vagina, the history of art and technology (UCSD VIS 159, 2015)](https://ucsdvis159.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/joe-davis-poetica-vagina/)
3. [Mari Chordà. A Pioneering Feminist Artist, Galeria Mayoral](https://galeriamayoral.com/exhibitions/24-mari-chorda.-a-pioneering-feminist-artist-barcelona/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Visual arts and design › Art history, criticism, and scholarship*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license