First sketch
Here are some images of my first sketch for this project. In this version, I focused heavily on the artistic aspect and less on the theme of sexual violence. It was about symbolism from protests regarding women’s safety; I created 3D animations using Blender and TouchDesigner based on images, symbols, and other recognizable elements from these protests. I had already recorded women’s voices and incorporated them creatively into a dynamic piece of music.
The feedback I received focused particularly on my use of the theme of women’s safety. I had focused on the creative expression and paid too little attention to the serious message. I was told to shift the focus toward artistically translating those women’s stories.
Second sketch
The next step was to use real footage. After showing a video I had made of myself being sexually harassed at my workplace, I thought that compiling more similar footage could make for a good project. I collected popular videos showing women around the world being harassed in various settings. Public transportation, nightlife, and other places were featured. The video was impactful, but for me, it shifted the focus. I noticed that I was already starting to pay attention to who was harassing the women. I’m afraid I might shift the focus to the individual perpetrators and spark discussions about nationality and religion. I also want to keep the focus on the women and their experiences as the central point of my project, which is why I didn’t choose a format that includes real footage of sexual violence.
This sketch also lacks the creation of a new micro-society, which is the goal of artivism according to Pascal Gielen. I feel it focuses on blame and who is to blame. Through my art, I want to convey the message that these experiences should be shared and that it’s okay to talk about them. This portrayal gives me the impression that it’s men versus women and that men are bad. My goal with this project was to demonstrate that men, in fact, need to be included in the conversation about this. This became my starting point for the next sketch.
Third sketch
In my third sketch, I tried to keep my project as minimalist as possible. I had a background of snakes with text superimposed on it. The women’s stories were easy to understand, accompanied by light background music. The quotes from the interviews with men were displayed next to my screens. I was able to test this project during the three-week exhibition at NP3. This testing process gave me the following insights: I used headphones, and that combination, along with a background of dark snakes, caused people to walk right past my project. From the outside, there was nothing that revealed my theme, and therefore nothing that drew people toward it.
In the second week, I made sure the people the project is about were visible. Videos of women who had also recorded the stories for me. My project now clearly conveyed what the theme was about. What struck me was that men seemed even less connected to it. I still had quotes on posters, but now with a background featuring the men I had also interviewed. My next version would therefore be to depict the men in the same way as the women, in order to make the project more accessible.
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