PR: In what ways do you feel the cultural context for PISSING WOMEN has changed since it was first shown in 1994?

HV: From Rembrandt to Picasso, art works depicting women urinating have always been startling, but Sophy Ricket's photographs take this transgressive subject to another level. If the idea of women having bodily functions has now largely been accepted in society (if behind closed doors) - the sight of women pissing like men in plain sight is still bewildering - and not to say, shocking. So, in this way, nothing has changed.

PR: What new perspectives does the book bring to the series PISSING WOMEN?

HV: Including the outtakes offers a new perspective, different from encountering the three 'hero' images in isolation. The small shifts in movement across the expanded sequence of frames evoke a sense of time, demonstrating the dialogue between Sophy and her collaborators, and inviting viewers further into the process behind the photographs.

PR: The book includes essays from writers, musicians, and artists whose work has been profoundly influenced by the series. What were you looking for in these testimonies?

HV: From a variety of representatives across cultural genres, we aimed for a wide range of different responses. And we got them.

The essays vary from the humorous, to the perplexed to the serious. We wanted to cover the gamut of reactions the photographs have always inspired.

PR: Is there something in particular you hope readers will gain from PISSING WOMEN?

HV: shock and awe!