Ask a Relevant Question...
The title of our end-of-course exhibition is 'What if...?'. The work doesn't necessarily have to derive directly from the title of the exhibition but it did help me to think of some primary research I wanted to do to drive my project forward.
The core image focuses on the scars left behind when the ivy is removed from the tree or the wall and I wanted to explore the idea of the sort of scars life leaves on us.
Sophie Ristelhueber Every One #14
I'm part of a women's group on Facebook which is a mutual support group for women who are reaching the middle stage of their lives. It's called The Mutton Club, which in my opinion is the best name ever! It's a forum where people can talk about anything and everything and what surprises me on a regular basis is how candid everyone is. I asked the group the question, 'What if all our scars were visible?'.
Some of them were very focused on physical scars:
"I still have scars on both knees from childhood falling over. I like them, they make me feel tomboyish."
"My scars are from cancer surgery and as they are in not visible areas of my body I prefer them to remain that way."
Some were heartbreakingly honest about their emotional scars:
"Those scars written down would say 'Stupid. Naive. Simmer down. Don't show excitement or passion. You don't know what you're talking about. All your personal decisions are wrong and you'll fail and disappoint. Again.' Another set of scars would say, 'Don't argue. Don't assert yourself. Make it better quickly.... diffuse the situation. Back down. Appease'."
"My mental scars are sometimes caused by others, sometimes by my own clumsiness, arrogance or what-have-you. It's made me thoughtful, respectful, and protective of the vulnerable."
But most important to the project in my opinion were the people who told me that they could not and would not ever reveal their scars. Either because it was too painful for them or because it would be too painful for the people they loved.
"I wish I were brave enough, Kerry! But my scars are something only I know I carry. To allow those I love to know I carry them would unduly burden them. My brand of courage is to hold them closely, deeply and privately and not let them affect my daily life, and thereby, the people I love."
"My eldest brother died from a drink addiction and my other brother was killed by lightning a couple of years later .I keep my scars on the inside so my Mum can't see them , keeping her going is tough but smiling and laughing and remembering good things is therapeutic for both of us."
One woman commented that she felt like over the years she'd added layers much like a tree would to control damage to itself.
For me this has been a major breakthrough in the development of my project. All of us carry scars, both emotional and physical but the way in which we conceal those scars and why we hide them is powerful and fascinating. The idea of adding layers to protect ourselves is really compelling. I'm going to spend some time developing visual language around that concept. Some results for you in the next post.
