Last year, one of my faculty class (compared literature) was about Phaedra's myth. We had to study Seneque's piece, Racine's piece (both classics) and also Sarah Kane's version of it. I had never heard of this english woman. I humbly admit that the first time I read her
Phaedra's Love, I found it provocative, gross and downed by a general nonsense.
BUT I had to somehow analyze it and came to read it a second time. Also, the teacher sent us a presentation of the book, notably field with explanations given by Kane herself. Those echoes from the otherworld allowed me to understand the base of the thing. For what I can shortcut it, Kane intended to put the blazed society -that can't see how monstrous she became- in front of a truth and choking mirror. Add to this that during one class, a dear fellow proposed a parallel between Kane and Alexander McQueen.
Shame on me I haven't realized it before.
My comrade explained that beside the fact that they both committed suicide at a young age, both their works are provocative and disturbing. For me, I was unable to put words on it. I had this impression of a same mix of decadence and greatness. Also this importance given to death. I finally went to the Savage Beauty exhibition in New York and I find there not words, but an image to put on my impression. It was that vision you have at the end of the exhibit : a window containing a fat half-human corpse. This window suddenly turns into a mirror and you see yourself, in place of the monster.
McQueen and Kane have both in their way, put the society in front of a mirror, tempting to show us the monsters we're coming to be. In both case they make good use of their sense of beauty and power to deliver the message.