OPPRESSION OF WOMEN IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
-Conceptual collaboration with Anastasia Voutsa-
This multi-medium collection brings together two different sets of customs from two very different ages, the present day and the age of the Aztecs. After researching and exploring different versions of oppression women suffer within the modern day, such as female genital mutilation, it was clear that I would never be anything more than an outsider due to a severe lack of first hand experience and that I risk fetishising these oppressions because of my status as a white, educated woman.
The collars were created in response to the Kayan Lahwi women who wear golden rings around their necks for both traditional and aesthetical purposes. Both Nikolay Korzhov’s photographic series of the Kayan Lahwi women in their day to day lives, and Angel Van Biljon’s documentary for the Nation Geographic channel’s series “Taboo” give awareness to the outside world of these women. Makode Aj Linde’s performance of linking the artist’s head to an abstract cake shaped like female body and crying in pain as the cake is cut brings a similar but more shocking and controversial awareness. The fashion section of the V&A Museum inspired the shape of the sculptures as fashion changed throughout the years. In particular, a collar made by J. Newbie from 1900, a coat with an unknown maker but created in 1907, a bodice designed by the Worth brothers in 1890, and a pelerine with an unknown maker created in 1830. John Coplans and Phyllis Evans use of high contrast and focus on colour inspired the photography documentation.
Being of very privileged background I can only look in as an outsider on the positions that these women have been placed into. As other artists before me have done such as Linde, Korzhov, and Biljon, my only aim is for my work to inform the public by highlighting some of the oppressions that these women endure. Because I am a woman myself, I feel somewhat kin to these other women of the world who still face oppressive issues in the modern day, and therefore should push these issues into the light for all to see.
Nikolay Korzhov, Everyday Pictures of Everyday Women, September 2013
Angel Van Biljon, Project for: National Geographic series: “Taboo”, 2002
Creating the rings based on the Kayan Lahwi, January 2014
The finished stack of rings based on the Kayan Lahwi, January 2014
Example photography, before and after editing, of the rings on model to be used for the stop-motion film, January 2014
First stop-motion film based on the Kayan Lahwi, January 2014
Makode Aj Linde, Female Genital Mutilation Awareness, April 2012
Kittiwat Unarrom, bread body parts, 2007
The Shoreditch Sisters, Future Fashion, March 2011
Creating the dough for a piece on Female Genital Mutilation, January 2014
Example photography of the baking stages of the Female Genital Mutilation piece, January 2014
Phyllis Evans, Instruments of Chastity, 2006
Second bread piece on Female Genital Mutilation, February 2014
Choux pastry piece on Female Genital Mutilation, February 2014
Second set of rings created for the Kayan Lahwi stop-motion film, January 2014 
Second stop-motion film on the Kayan Lahwi, February 2014
Mine and Anastasia’s films on the Kayan Lahwi combined, February 2014
Francesca Woodman, House #3, 1976
John Coplans, Hands hold feet, 1985
Photography from workshop, March 2014
Creation of my first pattern with duct tape, March 2014
First cotton neck piece, March 2014
Duct tape sculpture, March 2014
Inspirational pieces from the V&A Museum, April 2014
Set of duct tape sculptures, April 2014
Rice Paper Sculpture, April 2014
Golden Sculptures inspired by the Aztecs, April 2014
Golden Sculpture Photography – before editing, April 2014
Golden Sculpture Photography – after editing in the style of John Coplans and Phyllis Evans, April 2104
My Fine Art Practice (W101) 