Allison Nicolosi-Risinger
She/They

SOMA

We all need and deserve pleasure and connection to our bodies. To reflect this need in society, we must reclaim our satisfaction, joy, and eroticism from the limitations of scarcity and repression. I am deeply committed to exploring the intersections of somatics and pleasure activism through design. SOMA is rooted in the belief that the body is not only a site of political struggle, but also a source of joy and pleasure. Engaging with the authentic feelings and responses of the body allows us to nourish our intuition and align our values and actions.

Through my animation, I seek to cultivate a sense of bodily awareness and connection; using movement, breath, touch, and other somatic practices to help individuals tap into their own innate sense of pleasure and embodiment.

My work is informed by the principles of pleasure activism - the belief that pleasure is not only a valid and important goal in and of itself, but also a powerful tool for social and political change. By emphasizing pleasure and joy in design, I hope to inspire and empower others to do the same in their own lives, and to embrace pleasure as a form of resistance against systems of oppression and marginalization. 

Ultimately, my goal as a designer is to celebrate the richness and complexity of the body, and help individuals connect to their own bodies in new and transformative ways. By combining somatics and pleasure activism, I hope to create a space where individuals can explore and embrace their own bodily pleasure and power, and where we can collectively work towards a more just and joyful world.