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Creative Voices ‘Let’s Change the Story’
Creative Voices Art Exhibition: Let’s Change the Story
Immerse yourself into the powerful stories and creative expressions of women who have been impacted by sexual and family violence, and to learn about the essential actions necessary for a society free from violence.
Dates
Warrnambool
18 November – 13 December 2024
Lighthouse Theatre Atrium
Monday to Friday 11.30am to 4.30pm
Address: 185 Timor St, Warrnambool VIC 3280
The exhibition is a series of photographed images of interwoven objects set within a structure of interconnected tubing. Each image represents an individual story within the collective artwork, supported by and connected to one another within the structure.
In it’s whole, the structure describes the non-linear journey of healing, complexity of navigating a justice system with no clear path, inflexible power structures, and too many dead ends. It also describes the strength of collective voices advocating for change and the hope for a future where women’s experiences are heard and validated and people who use violence are held accountable.
Circles of Empowerment by Erin
The work created here by Erin is punctuated by circles and semi-circles depicting continuous journeys. Circular elements evoke a sense of purpose, where support should have no start and no finish. A connection and circular approach from where we were to where we are headed. A journey towards healing and closure is ever present. They are unbroken and complete with no beginning and no end.
The circles also represent being a part of a collective group, striving to change the norms, practices and structures that uphold violence supportive attitudes and behaviours. The collective group never loses hope, connected by injustices, and ignited by hope. The circular shapes represent the openness that comes from advocating for women, where there are no judgments, just space to grow. The depiction of the tiger represents empowerment and a fierceness that cannot be tamed. The crescent moon centres the piece and symbolises intuition, mindfulness, and freedom.
Amplify this story: Promote and normalise gender equality in public and private life. One way is to support and resource women’s collective advocacy and social movement activism to prevent violence and promote gender equality.
Denial by Melissa
As time passes, we remind ourselves of the deep layers this work transcends. A timestamp provides us with a reflection of time. The timeframe of intergenerational trauma covered up, minimised, shattered into small pieces. These raw and jagged edges are all that remain. Sharp, cutting pieces that reveal a broken legal system, showing no softness or kindness. The broken system is depicted by the pieces bound together in an attempt to rebuild. As a cry for help.
Interwoven textures of the wooden door, the layer upon layer of growth, every fibre, every texture so linear, so layered, yet imperfect. Reflecting back on the many years of growth, the tears, the frustration, the hours of healing, organic growth built from within, ready to regrow. Like the layers of a tree the hidden layers are revealed.
This piece acts as a reminder to walk next to those who reach out for help. To listen, to walk in their shoes, in unity and strength.
Change this Story: Advocate and support policy and practice changes in workplaces, schools, sporting clubs and spaces that implicitly or explicitly condone violence against women. Create space for people impacted by violence to feel listed to, understood and supported. We must confront societal silence, and complicity regarding violence against women.
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Cocoon by Fiona
Cocoon-like structures adorn the sculpture, each artwork piece is tightly wrapped in tape to remain attached to it’s whole. The tape reflects a continuum that is bound, held down by tension and coercion. The interwoven cocoon of the artwork allows the artist to be protected from the outside world. The external pattern masks the deep scars, never revealing what is being experienced on the inside. Building a cocoon like structure around the family, showing only the external beauty of the geometric shapes, protecting the broken pieces within.
The hollow tubing that encapsulates the work, is a manifestation of the victim’s voice being silenced, morphed, taken out of context or ignored. The words when spoken through the hollow tube are minimised and reframed by the perpetrators. Recreated into lies, that are repeated and rebranded as truth. To survive the victim and family must go on autopilot. Their voices are silenced, in fear of further pain if they speak out.
Change this story: Challenge the condoning of violence against women. It is essential to shift community attitudes and social norms that justify, excuse, trivialise or downplay violence against women, or shift blame from the perpetrator to the victim. Become aware of how women’s voices are silenced. Believe her story.
Self Love by Maree
In creating this piece, the artist reflects the immense pressure that is created from control. It’s a reflection of endless pressure, being held down, being afraid to show up as yourself, as an individual. Being forced to hold yourself in a certain way. An “acceptable” way that doesn’t allow for self-expression. The tape that forces the object to bend representing emotions that that are pulled and pushed in contorted directions, where feelings are oppressed and controlled, and words are dismissed.
The many and various affirmations that are sprinkled generously throughout the piece shine a light on self-acceptance. Representing that time has now passed and self-belief is returning. The mirrored surface represents a willingness for self-love and an eagerness to let go.
The work is deliberately created at ground level. A safe location, seeking stability, where there is no risk of it collapsing. A place where the artwork cannot be destroyed or crumble into insignificance. It’s part of a connected whole, a positive beacon grounded in self-love.
Maree has found self-love, but it should never have been taken from her. She deserved safety. We all deserve to feel safe.
Change this story: Promote women’s independence and decision-making in public life and relationships. Support the rights of all women to make decisions about their own lives.
Rituals by Harry
Finding solace in words, Harry writes long poetic dialogues to mimic the memories swirling in her mind. Like the rituals that were forced upon her during her life, she writes to free herself from invalidation. As she writes she recalls the feeling of anxiety felt every night. She hated the act of going to bed, and the ritual of it. Her bed was no longer a safe place, scared even to move. She imagined barbed wire running through the middle of her bed. She was never at rest.
The rituals were also rules he imposed on her, the rooms she was allowed in and the ones she was not. When she was allowed in the home or directed to leave. Her total ban from their shed, his hidden world. Rituals of place and displaced. Through writing the artist is breaking his control and finding her voice.
These memories are painful. The loss of innocence, consequences of breaking the rules, disrupting his rituals. The symbolism of the poppy enters the artists thoughts, the flower of remembrance, a flower that stands strong and shines out in the open. The artist finds solace in her own self-expression, her agency and trust in her instincts. Joy, lightness, even having fun is now possible.
Change this story: Strengthen women’s economic security, independence and social, political and economic participation in public life, to equalise access to power and resources between women and men.
Unapologetically Me by Georgina
The artist’s work reflects upon the stripping away of her sense of self. Over time she increasingly isolated herself from the world to protect her and her children. She realised that she had created a gilded cage for herself. A beautiful, safe and secure home. Yet she felt held captive by the remaining self-doubt, a caged bird unable to fly.
The faceless figure burns a deep image into the past. A past where her identity was erased, destroyed and undermined. The heavy weight of the baggage is oppressive, bound by fear, anxiety, doubt and sacrifice. Sacrifice for her children, focusing on their survival, sparks of joy suppressed by the heavy burden of trauma, silencing and forbidding her to be seen.
During the process of creating, the artist reflects on the support and education opportunities that empowered her to re-discover herself. Through self-discovery the artist’s journey led her to a deeper understanding of her neurodiversity and autism, gaining a new perspective on her baggage. Armed with this knowledge, art is central to her healing and ability to process trauma. Discarding the weighty baggage, she carried for so long.
The regrowth of identity is visually represented in the sculptural portrait. The blooming petals of multi-colour reflect the many talents, creativity and uniqueness of herself and her children. So fragile yet incredibly resilient.
Her life is emerging as she is blooming out of the box she was confined to. She asks herself, why do I need permission to be me? Why do I need to apologise for who I am?
I don’t.
I won’t be held down – I have strength, I have purpose. I survived and now it’s my turn to thrive!
Change this story: Build new social norms that foster personal identities not constrained by rigid gender stereotypes. Raise awareness of the negative impacts of gender stereotyping and increase community support for children, young people and adults to act in ways or take on roles that are not constrained by gender stereotypes.
We recognise the strength and wisdom of those impacted by sexual and family violence and their advocacy to the prevention of violence against women. Their stories are a call to action for us all, at every level of society – individual, community, organisation and policy. Together we can change the story and create a society free from violence.
This project is led by The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre, locally known as Emma House in partnership with Brophy Family & Youth Services, South Western Centre Against Sexual Assault and Women’s Health & Wellbeing Barwon South West.
