Video, Social awareness
Abstract:
"This performance art taps into the societal construct where women are blamed for being too inviting, voluptuous or just for being a woman. This is a series of still images brought into light that women are targeted no matter what they wear. This is an effort to break through this myth and a plea to find the root cause of the problem."
conversations:
Over years, as I have talked to friends, relatives and stranger, I have noticed that a lot of women have been sexually harassed at least once in their life. It always takes a lot of courage to have such conversations. And it all comes down to the instances that many women get invalidated when they share their experience. "What were you wearing then?", "I am sure you were asking for it given what you wore.", are some of the things people would hear say.
Initial Concept:
I was trying to visually show that adding a bunch of clothing does not protect any women from being susceptible to sexual harassment. My professor and friends helped me a lot deciding the medium I should work with and developing the project.
Choosing the right Medium:
Out of all the mediums, I decided that still image video would be the strongest one for our project. I could use the gaze of a woman changing as her emotional state shifts from happy to confused then devastated and finally angry. I would try to break the fourth wall so that the women could communicate and connect with the audience. The audience would act as the societal entity that has been forcing the women to keep adding layers of clothes until not a body skin is showing. But things might happen when we are on our most basic attire. The disruption in the frame speed of the video could be connected to the emotional state of the victim.
Photoshoot:
We started taking photographs and putting together materials that we needed for the video. My friend helped me take the photographs. There were many impromptu changes that we had to make during the photoshoot. We decided to only shoot the upper body since whole body was not working out.
My friend patiently posing for me while I setup the camera for the photoshoot.
I chose the music "Experience" by Ludovico Einaudi for the video. I had been listening to his pieces for a while and I felt that this particular piece had a dramatic feel that went well with the theme of the project. I really enjoyed working on this project.
Sharing about the video during the event
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
On April 2022, I got a chance to present this video as the opening for the program "Take Back the Night" organized by SAPA (Sexual Assault Prevention Ambassadars) at Caldwell University. The program was designed to break the myths surrounding sexual assault. Many survivors shared their stories and SAPA had counseling resources at hand for anyone who needed immediate help during the event. It was really rewarding to have the video help start a conversation on the matter.
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Inspired by: Survivors art installation "What were you wearing"
Music in the video: Ludovico Einaudi- Experience
Music in the video: Elfen Lied-Lilium (Music Box)
Confessions: "What were you wearing" installation
Award:
First Prize recipient in Creative Art and Music Category on Caldwell University Creative Research and Creative Arts Day, CRACAD, 2021
