EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION LAW The exhibition site is held in the Law School reception in the Fielding Johnson Building at the University of Leicester. In this site, there are two art exhibits. The first, entitled Consent – A Legal Definition, is made up of five posters, which sit in individual easels in the formation of the dots on a die (four in the corners of a square, and a fifth in the centre). These take up the left-hand side of the reception. On the wall behind the posters, there is a television screen, which displays the second exhibit: Kaleidoscopes of Law and Justice.
CONSENT – A LEGAL DEFINITION The five posters are portrait rectangles. The upper three quarters show an illustration printed in purple ink, whilst the lower quarter of the posters is a deep purple textbox with white text. The central poster’s illustration depicts a young woman. She is facing forward, and her gaze appears to be looking through the viewer. Whilst she has a neutral expression, her large eyes seem wet, but no tears are falling. Her long dark hair is floating upwards, as it would if under water. The woman is wearing a V-necked top with long sleeves, and is cropped above her waist. The top is dark and contrasts against her paler skin; it is patterned with soft and irregular maple leaf shapes. The image is cropped at her hips. The main feature of the image is that the woman is split in two. The split is as wide as the width of her arm, and it begins just below her right shoulder and goes diagonally down, stopping at the top of her waist and going through her left forearm. The edges of the split are rough, though curved, and at either end of the split, there are clusters of different sized fragments, in the same material as the woman’s top, that continue in that diagonal line. The illustration’s caption is: “A person consents if s/he agrees by choice, and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice”. Below this caption, in smaller writing, it says “Legal definition of consent (Section 74 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003)”. The front left illustration is of another young woman. She faces her left and her face is tilted towards the sky, with her lips parted. Her hair is long and dark, and styled so that it is half down and half tied in a bun. The woman is wearing a sari, patterned with stars. Three white, thick but wispy lines flow across her torso and the entire width of the poster; the highest line comes to the base of her neck. The image’s background is white above the highest white line, and below this line, the background is a pale purple. It seemingly depicts water. Her left arm is lifted slightly, and her right arm is bent, with her right hand loosely clutching her chest. Her expression is neutral though her eyes seem tired. She appears to be trying to keep her head above the water. The image’s caption says “Rape is when you are: Deceived, Unconscious, Incapacitated, Verbally Coerced, Physically Coerced, Too drunk to consent”. The front right poster features a young woman sat down, with her knees brought up to her chest. Her back faces the viewer, but she is looking over her right shoulder, her gaze meeting the viewer’s; she looks sad. Her dark, voluminous hair is pushed out of her face with a hair band, tucked behind an ear with a hooped earring. The woman is wearing a horizontally-striped dress that comes to her mid-thigh. To the woman’s left, there is a flat-surfaced stone, roughly the size and shape of a cat that has curled up to sleep. It is situated right next to where the woman is sitting on the floor. Her left hand is splayed on the surface of the stone, and her arm is bent at the elbow. Standing on the stone behind the woman’s hand is a wine glass half-filled with red wine. The caption of the illustration states “Nudity, Silence, Sexting, Flirting, Kissing, Petting, Stroking, Foreplay, Cuddling, Sexy clothing… Is not consent for sexual intercourse.”
The back right poster shows a young man, facing the viewer. He is wearing dark, belted trousers, a lightly coloured horizontally-striped t-shirt which is tucked into his trousers, and a dark coat that comes to below his hips, with the collar turned up. He hands are in his trouser pockets. His hair is short, dark, and is slightly messy. His eyes are shut and his eyebrows are slightly furrowed, whilst his shoulders are hunched in a dejected manner. The poster’s caption is “A person has the right to change their mind and withdraw their consent at any point EVEN during intercourse. If in doubt, STOP, ASK, LISTEN, GET CONSENT”. The final poster, on the back left, depicts another young woman. She faces the viewer and her whole body is shown. She is standing in a power stance, with her legs wide apart, and her arms are crossed across her chest. She is wearing belted trousers that are cuffed at the ankle, and sneakers. Her jumper has a cowl neck, and her long coat and ponytail billow out behind her. The woman is looking intently at something or someone ahead of her, which is not illustrated in the poster. Her expression is one of determination and fury. The pale purple background is disrupted by white jagged lines which look similar to lightening. Behind her is a white and faded glow. The caption of the poster says “CONSENT IS when you: Agree, Have freedom to choose, Are able to make a clear decision.”
KALEIDOSCOPES OF LAW AND JUSTICE On the television screen, there is a large, colourful circle in front of a black background. The circle is split into segments, identical in shape, size and pattern. As the audio plays, the circle spins, with the colours and patterns shifting. Sometimes the pattern just consists of shapes, sometimes images, and sometimes the pattern is made up of words, like a newspaper headline. The words shrink and swirl into a finer pattern and it is not always easy to make out the words, but as they expand, the phrases become more apparent. For the narrative on male rape, the kaleidoscope is mostly different shades of browns and golds, as it spins, the outer band of the circle becomes lighter and thin tree trunks border this band, with the centre of the circle mirroring a forest floor. The kaleidoscope then becomes black with pale grey writing that twist and spin in and out of sight. They say “you attacked me”. For the narrative on intoxication, this kaleidoscope, again is mostly different shades of brown, interspersed with whites and muted greens. The patterns mirror that of the branches of a tree, and the light that falls through the leaves. The kaleidoscope then changes to a pale orange with gold writing, which says “if you’re too intoxicated, then you lose the capacity to consent”. The kaleidoscope returns to the tree-like pattern as before, then swiftly switches to another word-based pattern. This time, the background is a vivid orange with gold writing that says “my sense of security and independence has disappeared”. For the narrative on acquaintance rape, the kaleidoscope starts as a vibrant, hot pink, and appears to have the texture of a flower with ruffled petals. It then changes to words that are a bright red-pink, with a black background. The words rotate, and the viewer can make out words like “Never” and “More”. The kaleidoscope returns to the pink, flower-like pattern, interspersed with small, green shapes on the pink background. The kaleidoscope then is made up of purple words on an orange background, with the words “Pain” and “Anxiety” spinning within the pattern. Finally, the kaleidoscope returns again to the pink flower pattern. For the narrative on rape within relationships, the kaleidoscope is mostly a darker pink than the kaleidoscope from the previous narrative, and is tipped with a dark blue. As the kaleidoscope spins, the blue spirals away and returns periodically. Nearer to the centre of the circle, a thin ribbon of silver interlaces with the pink. The kaleidoscope then changes to a paler pink background with purple writing, which says “he fails to accept responsibility”, before returning to the pink, blue and silver pattern.
For the narrative on rape of a vulnerable person, the kaleidoscope’s outer edge is pale gold, and grows darker towards the centre. Halfway between the outside and centre of the circle, is a band of white. The kaleidoscope then switches to words written in dark brown in front of a dark beige background. The words say “he exploited my kindness”. The kaleidoscope then becomes beige in the centre, with a thick brown band in the centre which appears to show the profile of a woman. The outer band’s background is white, and it patterned with clothes on manikins, alternating between a long, striped, strapless dress, and a black dinner jacket. The kaleidoscope spirals so that the outer band becomes black, whilst the rest becomes different shades of gold.
MUSEUM STUDIES Based in the Museum Studies building at the University of Leicester, this exhibit takes the form of a collaged poster. The artwork sits on an easel and within a thin, black frame, and is placed in front of the wall ahead of a small seated area. Two armchairs with wooden legs and arms, and green padding face the poster. It is the size of an A2 piece of paper.
A QUIET SCREAM The poster has a white background and is sparsely filled with a selection of black and white photographs, coloured images, and sentences and words in the style of newspaper cuttings. In the top-left corner, there is a square, black and white photograph on an older woman’s face and shoulders. She faces the camera, but her eyes are looking all the way to her right. She has a small smile and her expression looks almost playful. She wears small hooped earrings, a white shirt, and a dark suit jacket. Her hair is dark and ties up. To the right of this photograph, at the top of the poster, there is a newspaper cutting which says “Ask me anything” in large, black letters. Immediately below this phrase is another square, black and white photo of a woman. This woman is young, but the photo appears to be old. The photo shows the woman’s face and neck. The young woman is wearing dark eyeliner on her upper eyelid, and a deep colour on her lips. She is looking directly at the camera, and therefore the viewer; her expression is neutral. Beneath this image is more text taken from newspaper clippings. This says “How does it feel”. The words “how” and “it feel” are from the same cutting and are written in red and more cursive font. The word “does” splits this cutting and is black, smaller and more basic font. Underneath these four words is a newspaper cutting which says “being raped as a teenager”. This is all from the same cutting, and is written in a black font. To the left of this text, there is a landscape black and white photograph of two toddlers, sitting in an old-fashioned pram. The child on the left is white with a blonde fringe poking out beneath a large, white, knitted hat. She is gazing up at the viewer. On this child’s right, sits a little black girl. She is wearing a dark coloured coat, and she is looking to her left off camera, with her brow gently furrowed. Layered over the top of this photo is a cartoon image of a tree, which has been cut in a way which removed the border. The tree has a long, thin, white trunk, and small, pale green leaves. On the right-hand side of the trunk, there is a red squirrel climbing up. Sitting by the bottom of the trunk on the left is a little, yellow rabbit. Behind the tree is a small, leafy bush. The cutting of the tree extends beyond the photograph of the children, to about halfway down the poster. In the centre of the poster is a very small and thin newspaper clipping. The tiny text reads “I was isolated as a child” in black lettering. In contrast, to the right of this is a very large “He”. This word is written in a 3D font, with a white surface and black shadowing. The background of this cutting is red. Below this, are the words “said” and “kid”. “Said” is from the same newspaper clipping, but each letter has been cutting out separately and modestly spaced out. The letters are white and bold, with a black background, and are about as large, but not
as wide as the word “He”. “Kid” is also written in a white and bold font with a black background; however, the word is comparatively squat, and is positioned at the same height as the top of the letters which spell out “said, leaving a small gap below as the other letters stretch further down, about three or four times the length of the word “kid”. To the left of the word “said” is more text in two rows. The first row says “speak out about it”, in black writing. The word “it” is taken from a different cutting than the rest of the phrase; it is in a thinner font. The second row is split into three parts. The first is a cutting which says “the thick of it” in black and stretched letters, where the word “thick” is in bolded letters. The second part is a tiny clipping of the word “my” which is also black and written in italics. It overlaps the first and third parts of the row. The third part of the row says “changed world”, in a black and rounded font. “Changed” is positioned directly on top of the word “world” in this clipping. At the bottom of the poster, underneath the words “said kid” is a final black and white photograph. It features, on the left, a man in a shirt and wide brimmed hat, standing with his hands on his hips, facing a billboard, his back to the camera. On the right, the landscape, rectangular billboard says “WHAT YOU SEE HERE, WHAT YOU DO HERE, WHAT YOU HEAR HERE, WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE, LET IT STAY HERE”. Directly beneath this photo is a newspaper cutting which says “No strings attached” is a bold and black font. Finally, at the centre of the bottom of the poster, there is a thin line of words in a small, black font. They say “story I’ve told is painfully naked is my childhood”. The word “is” breaks up the sentence between “told” and painfully” by being from a separate and slightly larger cutting.
MEDIA & COMMUNICATION This exhibit is based outside Bankfield House, the University’s Media, Communications and Sociology Building, on New Walk. The sky is starting to turn dark, and the streetlights are on. To get into Bankfield House, you would go down some steps or the sloped pathway on the left and reach a small paved/tiled area before the doors. There are four doors in a row that have two panelled windows in the top half. The art exhibit Subversions is comprised of six A4 sized posters which are in the six windows of the second, third and fourth doors. Visible from the street, is a much larger poster set in the window above these doors. The poster shows an elderly woman smiling widely at the viewer, wearing a pink and white checked apron. She is holding out a homemade fruit pie with lattice pastry.
SUBVERSIONS The posters are portrait, with the top three quarters displaying a photograph, and the bottom quarter showing a vibrantly coloured textbox with contrasting white text. The first poster’s photograph shows the torso and legs of two people. The person on the viewer’s left is an elderly man who is facing forward but to his left. He is wearing a tartan shirt, tucked into his pale trousers, and he is holding on to a walking frame. The person on the viewer’s right is a young woman in light blue nurses’ scrubs. Her left hand is lightly supporting the man’s left forearm. The textbox below is also light blue. The caption says “Don’t be anywhere. 100% of rapes happen in all places”. Below this, in smaller writing, it says “#Safety Tips”. The second poster features the upper body and face of an elderly woman, and a dog. The woman is seated, and a white and brown beagle sits upright on her lap. The woman is embracing the dog and smiling as she gazes at it. The textbox underneath the photograph is pale green, and the caption is “She’s someone’s sister,
mother, daughter, wife” except that the words “sister”, “mother”, “daughter”, “wife” and apostrophe-S from the word “someone’s” have been crossed out. This leaves the phrase “She’s someone”. Underneath is #MeToo. The third poster is a close-up photograph of a woman’s buttocks clad in light blue denim jeans. The jeans are ever so slightly ripped in the lower cheeks, and very small areas of the woman’s skin are exposed through the fraying of the rips. The textbox is dark blue and its caption shows a conversation between a man and a woman, which goes as follows: “Her: #MeToo. Him: What about men though? Her: When did ‘me’ become a gender?” Below the caption, in a smaller font, is the phrase #MeToo. The fourth poster depicts an elderly man and woman on a boat. On their right is the sea, sparkling in the sun. The man is on the right and is wearing sunglasses and a white linen shirt. The woman on the left is also wearing sunglasses, and a loose pale blue top, and a thin material scarf is flowing in the breeze. The woman has her back facing the viewer but has twisted to point to something on her left with her left hand, which cannot be seen in the photograph, and so the viewer can see the profile of her face. The man has raised his right hand to protect his eyes from the sun and is looking in the direction in which the woman is pointing. The textbox is blue, and the caption reads “His family was known in the community. They are ‘good people’”. The phrase “good people” is in inverted commas. The small hashtag below caption is #WhyIDidntReport. The fifth poster features two young people – a man and a woman – sitting on a sandy beach. The man is on the right-hand side of the poster, wearing summer clothes and sunglasses, and eating a large watermelon slice. The woman is sitting on his right, less in the foreground. She is also wearing summer clothes, as well as a straw sunhat and sunglasses. Her red hair is glowing golden yellow in the light of the setting sun. She is holding a slice of watermelon which she is holding in front of her chest. She is looking at the man on her left and is smiling brightly. The textbox is orange, with the caption “I was ashamed. I thought it was my fault” and the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport. The final poster shows the corner of a rooftop space which is decorated with naked lightbulbs on a string. In the corner, and young woman and man are standing facing each other, laughing and smiling. The woman is leaning against the half-wall facing the man, and the right-hand side of the poster. She is wearing jeans and a striped shirt, and is holding a drink with a straw in her right hand, which she is resting on the man’s chest. The man is facing the woman, and his left arm is resting on the flat top of the half-wall, so that the woman is enclosed between him and the wall. A foot to the left of his hand sits a mostly full beer bottle. The man is wearing jeans, a white, long-sleeved top, a leather necklace, and a large black ring on the fourth finger on his left hand. The textbox is apple green, and the caption says “She was drunk, this rape is her fault. He was drunk, this rape isn’t his fault”. Below is the hashtag #StopVictimBlaming.
CRIMINOLOGY The virtual tour of the Criminology site begins in a street alleyway in the outskirts of the Leicester city centre. The floor on the left-hand-side is that of a road, however, on the right, the floor is made up of uneven cobbles. On the viewer’s left, is a red brick storage unit, with three large, blue, wooden, sliding doors. Each of the doors bears large graffiti tags. A short and thin, metal ladder rests against the first door, and bits of litter are scattered nearby on the floor. On the opposite side, there is a red brick building, whose wall is dusty, and the bricks are crumbling in places. Against this wall is a line of six black, plastic, council dustbins. Past these, there are four large wheelie bins – three blue, one red. In between, there are large white bags; their contents unknown. Ahead of the storage unit on the left, and the halfway point of the opposite wall, there is the entrance to a small tarmacked area. Five cars are parked here. At the far-end of the area, there is a red brick Victorian-
era building – this houses the University of Leicester’s Criminology Department. On the right-hand-side, the building extends towards the area’s entrance, as a single story, as opposed to the three stories of the main building, and the doors on this section of the building face the wall left of the viewer. Closest to the entrance of this tarmacked area is a garage with a blue door. Beside the garage (on the left) are two closed, blue doors. However, left of these is the door to the Criminology Department’s Crime Scene room. The pale grey door is open, and bears are silver plaque which reads “154 Scarman House”. To the left of the door frame, attached to the red brick wall, is a black box with a flap in the top for post. On this flap, there is a sticker which reads “NO JUNK MAIL”. Engraved on the box is the outline of an envelope. A small green hanging basket is affixed to the wall just above the post box. To the left of this, there is a window with three panels. The viewer cannot look inside the room as there is a white material blind on the inside.
A SAFE PLACE This exhibit takes place in a small bedroom. If standing in the threshold, straight ahead of the viewer is a single bed against the back wall. The head of the bed is positioned in the back-right corner of the room. The duvet is thick and is white but covered in a pattern of pale pink and blue roses and greenery. The pillow is white and resting on the pillow are two cushions – one is coffee brown; the other is a pale beige and made of a shaggy material. Resting against the pillow is a small grey teddy bear, hugging a purple flower. The back wall, against which the bed is pushed, is painted white, and there are two art pieces hanging. They are 30cm2 beige canvas squares, with embroidered flowers on stalks as the main designs. In between the two pieces, there is a small ceramic heart that hangs off a loop off a nail in the wall. To the right of the head of the bed, there sits a wooden bed-side drawer, which is split into three compartments, vertically. The bottom two are drawers. The lower drawer is closed, but the drawer above it is open, revealing a collection of books, with their spines facing upwards. Included are some Daphne du Maurier novels, and some crossword puzzle books. The top compartment is a shelf, and on the shelf there is some VapoRub sitting on a pack of tissues, and to the left of these, there is a pile of four books – the top being Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. There are a range of items on the surface of this piece of furniture as well. In the back-left corner, there is a white, analogue alarm clock in the shape of a heart, with the time reading five minutes to four o’clock. Just in front of the alarm clock is a small scented candle in a little glass holder, decorated with the image of flowers. A copy of the Holy Bible rests on the front-left corner of the surface, and there is a crossword puzzle book lying in the front-right corner at an angle. The book is closed, but there is a pen sticking out halfway between the pages. Underneath the puzzle book is the edge of a circular white and blue lace doily, and in the centre, a mug sits, half-filled with tea. The mug is white and is decorated with a pink flower pattern. In the back-right corner, there is a bunch of fake white roses, sitting in a small patterned ceramic pot and matching saucer. At the foot of the drawers and beside the bed, there are a pair of purple slippers, with green and pink flowers. There is a circular rug on the floor in the centre of the grey speckled carpet. The rug is made of multicoloured plaited fabrics, going around in rings. On the same wall as the door, there is a three-panelled window with frosted glass. Framing the window is a pair of cream curtains emblazoned with large drawings of flowers in varying shades of grey. A plastic scent diffuser sits in the centre of the window ledge. Opposite the window, at the foot of the bed, there is a wooden wardrobe, with double doors, and there is a hexagonal shaped mirror affixed to the left-hand door. Underneath the window, there is a wicker armchair, with a fluffy coffee brown cushion in the seat, and a pale pink cardigan is draped over the chair’s back. The chair is partially tucked into a wooden desk, which has three closed drawers on the right of the gap for the chair. To the right of the desk is a tall lamp, with a golden stand, and a pale lamp shade, which gives of a
warm orange glow. On the left-hand-side of the desk, there is a floral-patterned material draped like a tablecloth, upon which there stands an array of cosmetic items. There is an ornate, silver, oval-shaped mirror, beside small tubs and tubes of lotions and creams that are lined up against the back of the desk, where it meets the wall. In front of the mirror, at the left-most side of the desk, is a reed scent diffuser, which makes the whole room smell of lavender. There is a small box, made of mirrored panels to the right of the mirror and in front of the toiletries, and to the right of this box, there are two bottles of nail varnish – one pale pink, one an orangered colour. There is also a small, white beaded bracelet, with a golden clasp, lying on the front-right corner of the floral material. On the right-hand-side of the desk, where the floral material does not reach, in the back, there is a blue and white striped bag. It is rectangular in shape, and upon it rests some thick, grey, plastic knitting needles, a small pair of scissors with black handles, measuring tape, and four small balls of yarn, in blue, white, grey and teal. A partially made scarf lies ahead of the knitting bag. The scarf has been made with thick, bamboo knitting needles, which are still attached to the yarn, which is an ashy brown colour. The scarf has been made in stocking stitch, but there is a panel of ribbed stitching near the end of the scarf, which hangs over the desk slightly. Behind the desk is a wall and attached to the wall is a lavender notice board, and above the notice board, is a golden frame, inside which is a realistic drawing of a small bouquet of white lilies. On the right-handside of the notice board, there is a calendar, with the month February on display. The calendar is pinned so that the upper half shows the picture of three deer in a field, and below the boxes for each day of the month are visible. Every Wednesday at 3pm, the owner of the calendar has pencilled in a knitting group. On the 22nd of February, the owner has marked that it is someone’s birthday. On the left of the notice board, there are four birthday cards pinned. The first is immediately to the left of the calendar and is blue with multicoloured butterflies. The second is above and to the left of the first card, and is red. The picture on the card shows a pile of cushions, upon which sleeps a cat; besides the pile is a small dog looking up at the cat. The third card is blue, and shows a woman sitting in a room with a cat on her lap, with vases of flowers sitting on the floor either side of her. This card is also above and to the left of the previous card. The final card is positioned to the left, but below the third card, so all the cards together are in the shape of an arch. This card is pale pink and, in the centre, there is the picture of a cupcake with a candle nestled in the frosting. Finally, underneath the arch of birthday cards, there is a small booklet pinned to the board. It is hanging open to the final page which has a short poem about knitting enclosed in a yellow border.
LIAS This exhibit is held in the University of Leicester’s Innovation Hub, and the tour begins at the Hub’s foyer. The floor is a mosaic, made up of small black and white tiles which form geometric patterns. On the left, there is a conference room, visible through glass panelled doors which take up the entire left wall of the foyer. The room is full of circular wooden tables, with red chairs surrounding them. Further up the foyer, on the right, there is a single door, also made of a glass panel, which leads to the Board Room. There is a rectangular wooden table inside, with smart black chairs. Past the foyer is the reception area. The floor is patterned with yellow-brown octagons, bordered by brown irregular hexagons and blue squares. On the left, there is a large television screen which takes up almost the entire wall; it is displaying advertising for the University of Leicester facilities. On the right, is a carpeted staircase that, halfway up, bends to the left. In front of the entrance to the staircase is a small, white reception area. After going up the stairs, you can turn left or right. The exhibit is on the right. This leads to a small carpeted area that holds a small, round, white table and three red chairs. The art exhibit at this site is a photo
poem, which plays on a television screen set on the back wall, lasting four minutes. The video is soundless and shows a series of photographs with small captions in white. To the right of the screen, is a tall wooden easel, upon which sits a still from the photo poem. It depicts the lower body of a young woman standing in a lake; her white dress rippling underwater. YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF The photo-poem begins with a shot in a wooded area, where the viewer can see the outlines of thin branches and leaves in the background, hints of green peek out through the shadows. In the foreground, out of focus is a white, sheer material that sweeps through the majority of the shot, leaving only the top right quadrant uncovered. The next photo is of the lower half of a young woman standing in a lake. The camera points to the surface of the water, which is dark, and waves and droplets of the water spray outward from the woman. She is wearing a white dress, which appears sheer as it clings to her body. Below the water surface, the skirt of the dress billows. The photo is captioned: “It shouts at me in dreams”. The following photo is mostly black. On the left-hand side is a semi-circle of a light source which is covered by white and pale pink feathers. The edge of the semi-circle runs vertically, though slightly tilted to the right (clockwise). The photo’s caption reads: “It wasn’t my body my brain somewhere else staring down” which then changes to “It isn’t me It isn’t me” The screen then turns white, before displaying to a photograph of a thick white material. The photo is zoomed in so that the viewer could count the threads. In the foreground, on the right, the material is curved like a hill, and the background, unfocused, shows the shadow formed by the material’s crease as it folds. The caption for this photo says “‘You want this’” in quotation marks, before then saying “was drummed into me”. Next, there is another photo of the young woman standing in the lake. The new lighting shows the water to be a murky green colour, and the surface is not as disturbed, though small ripples emanate from the woman standing on the left. The water comes up to her mid-thigh, and her left hand is held loosely by her side; her fingers lightly curled. This photo is captioned: “I used to struggle before” and then, “but then I cut” The caption continues onto the next photograph, saying “off”. In the upper half of the new photograph, there is Caucasian skin. The photo is zoomed in so that individual skin cells can be seen. It is unclear what part of the body is on display. Underneath this, is more white material, which dips to form a small valley below the centre of the skin. The caption then changes to “In the end I thought”. The screen goes black, just showing the caption in small, white lettering “I’ll just go dead”. The screen then flashes white before showing another photograph of the woman in the water. She appears to be wading through the water, as her left leg is pushed against the wet material of her white dress, so that the colour of her skin can be seen through it. The skirt of her dress trails behind her, beneath the water’s surface. Her left hand is clearly seen, and on her fingernails there are the remains of red nail polish. They look like small red dots. This photograph is captioned with: “It was all me”, followed by “I mustn’t tell mum. It’s your fault. You wanted this. Everybody would hate me”. The next photo is black and white. The background shows a screen of porous material, like hemp. In the foreground on the right-hand side of the photo, that material folds over, and is significantly frayed. The frays that are in the centre of the photo are hit with a bright light, which contrasts with the grey tones of the rest of the photograph. The caption reads: “I associated rape with Strangers”. The first ‘S” of strangers is capitalised.
Following from this, there is a photo of a pile of white feathers. The focus is upon the feathers in the centre of photo; they are ruffled, and are standing at an angle, separate to the remaining feathers, which are lying flat. Two of the feathers that are lying down in the centre of the photo are discoloured pink in places. The caption for this photo is “Night struggle”. The next image is of more white material. In the centre, there is the curved fold and crease that was shown in the fourth picture. This photo is zoomed out, to reveal more of the cloth. Surrounding the hill like fold, is an upside-down, U-shaped ruckle, and the material follows the shape of this curve as it continues out of the camera’s view. In the top corners, there is a fragment of black background. The caption says “I didn’t struggle” before changing to “but I didn’t want to”. The screen flashes white, then black, with the caption “She called it rape that night, I got flashbacks”. The following photo is filled with a cloud of pale vapour, against a blue background. In the top-right corner, then are pointed shaped, like a drawing of a fir tree. On the floor, in the bottom-right corner, there is a white tassel, as if it is being pulled off screen. This photo is captioned with “round in my head I kept passing out”. Next, there is an image with a white background. On the left, the viewer can make out a white, sheer material that hangs and sweeps across the photo. The material appears slightly darker where it layers in front of itself in folds. The material is veiling two long and thin vertical, stalk-like items. The photo is then replaced by another black screen, with the caption “She got into the car. She did not know when this started or how it happened”. The next photo shows a young woman, from the waist to her mid-thigh. She is stood facing the righthand side of the photo, and her right hand hangs loosely beside her leg. On her index finger, she wears a silver ring with a large black stone. On her fourth finger, she wears a thin gold band. She is wearing black shorts, which end where her fingertips reach on her leg. A thin black thread hangs in contrast against her pale skin, and extends beyond the bottom of the photograph. The photo is out of focus and has a pale orange filter. The caption for this photograph says “The man in the back saying ‘Can I have sex?’ He just pushed my legs forward, my jeans covering my face and nose”. The caption then changes to “I couldn’t breathe or anything. I think I might have tried to say get off me.” And then finally turns into “I don’t think he could hear me. The jeans were over my face”. Then screen flashes white and then black. The caption: “I didn’t say no.” is followed by “Didn’t dare to. You know you don’t want to. You are still doing it”. The next image is mostly black, but in the centre, there is white fabric that is being illuminated by an unseen light source. The fabric is gathered in ruffles, and forms the shape of a thin isosceles triangle, the tip tilted to the left. To the left of the photograph, more white fabric can be seen, but it is not bright like the other piece, but is visible from the light cast through the central fabric. A thin strip of this can be seen through shadow, and it is significantly frayed. The photo is captioned: “She was lying on her bed unable to recollect how she got there.” The caption then changes to: “I could just feel this. I don’t know where his head was, I did nothing, or said anything in response. Like it wasn’t happening.” There is next another photo of white fabric, clear in the light this time. Four loose pleats of the fabric meet in the centre of the photograph, and the caption reads: “to be sure about consent which is why he stroked her for so long”. This then changes to: “the top of his fingers inside the waistband of her pyjama trousers”, and then finally, the caption for this photo says: “never said or didn’t anything to give the impression that she was in pain or not consenting”
The photo changes to a black screen, except on the left-hand-side, there is the photo of the girl wading in the water again, cropped so that is shows her waist and thighs. Her underwear, visible through the wet, white dress is in the top of the photo. The caption reads: “Gaps in her recollection probably the result of intoxication.” Next, there is a zoomed in photo of a white shirt; the white thread of a seam runs along the lower third of the photo. In the centre, there is a button hole. Instead of a button, however, there is a clear, thin, plastic tube poking through the hole. The photo is captioned with: “Its absence includes quiet submission or surrender.” Again a now black screen, the caption reads: “It was fatal to the case.” The screen then flashes white, before being replaced with another black background. This caption reads “I-wouldn’t-have-been-able-to-verblise-what-had-happened-to-me-because-anyway-I-didn’t-know-what-hadhappened-to-me”, except all of the words are joined together by hyphens. This is followed by the photo of thick, red threads or tassels, resting on what appears to be a white person’s skin. On the right, the threads are grouped together and flow in the same direction. In the background, out of focus, the threads curve around and back up, as if in a loop. On the left of the photo, the threads are interlocked in a complex, but loose, plait. They overlap, and some of the threads are coloured as if the photo has faded, or that the threads were moving in a blur when the photo was taken. These threads are much less focused than those on the right. This photo has no caption. The next photo shows the white fabric of the shirt from the photo of the buttonhole. It is an aerial view of the fabric loosely folded into a pleat that runs down the centre of the photo. This is also captionless. The photo then changes to the zoomed surface of the sole of a foot. The foot is of a white person, and the creases are in focus. Again, this photo has no caption. The next photo is of the fabric of the white shirt. On the left, third of the photo, the fabric is quite tightly crumpled. The remaining two thirds show the fabric folded into two hill shapes that meet at the bottom in a Vshape. From this point, a thick, bright red thread that trails upwards to the top of the photo, continuing offcamera. This photo is captioned: “Raped six times by her husband an outcry against her eight month prison sentence” Next, there is a photo of more white fabric. This fabric is of a lower stitch count, and is quite porous. There are two layers of this fabric. The upper layer has a hole in the centre, which is fraying; through this hole, the bottom layer is visible. The hole is in the shape of a vertical, thin oval, with pointed ends – vagina-shaped, if you will. The caption reads: “an outcry” with the words “last Friday” underneath. The screen then flashes white, which is then replaced by a black background. The caption is simply a capital letter “O”. The next photo shows the forehead of a white person, positioned as if they are lying horizontally. At the left-most side, there person’s closed eye is partially visible. The right-most side shows the ends of light brown hair. The main focus of the photo, however, is a U-shaped scar that curves around the end of the person’s eyebrow. There is no caption for this photo. The following photo shows the dress-skirt of the young woman wading in the dark green water. In the top left corner of the photo, the viewer can see about a foot of the dress above the surface of the water. The train of the dress is long and billows out on the water’s surface to the half-way point of the image, and continues to float beneath, submerged. The caption for this photo says “You tore your own clothing. You cut your body with a pair of scissors. You feigned illness and injury.”
Next, the thick, red loop of threads is depicted from a different angle. The curve begins, in focus, in the top-left corner of the image and coils down to the bottom centre, where the photo is not in focus. Four of the thread strands do not follow this curve, however, and rise from the bottom vertically upwards, although they are not taut. This photo begins captionless, but then the phrase “Many would say wicked” appears on screen. The caption remains, as the background flashes to black. POEM: It shouts at me in dreams It wasn’t my body
my brain
Anywhere else
staring down
It isn’t me
it isn’t me
“You want this” was drummed into me I used to struggle before But then I cut Off In the end I thought I’ll just go dead I mustn’t tell mum… It’s your fault. You wanted this Everybody would hate me. I associated rape with Strangers Night struggle I didn’t struggle but I didn’t want to She called it rape that night, I got flashbacks Round in my head I kept passing out She got into the car. She did not know when this started or how it happened. The man in the back saying “Can I have sex?” He just pushed my legs forward My jeans covering my face and nose I couldn’t breathe or anything. I think I might have to say get off me. I don’t think he could hear me.
The jeans were over my face. I didn’t say no. Didn’t dare to. You know you don’t want to You are still doing it. She was lying on her bed unable to recollect how she got there. I could just feel this. I don’t know where his head was. I did nothing or said anything in response. Like it wasn’t happening. to be sure about consent which is why he stroked her for so long the top of his fingers inside the waistband of her pyjama trousers never said or did anything to give the impression that she was in pain or not consenting Gaps in her recollection probably the result of intoxication. Its absence includes quiet submission or surrender. It was fatal to the case. I-wouldn’t-have-been-able-to-verbalise-what-had-happened-to-me-because-anyway-I-didn’t-knowwhat-had-happened-to-me Raped six times by her husband an outcry against her eight month prison sentence an outcry Last Friday O You tore your own clothing. You cut your body with a pair of scissors. You feigned illness and injury. Many would say wicked.
LIBRARY This exhibit is held in the Reading Room of the David Wilson Library at the University of Leicester. The artwork itself is on display on an interactive screen that fills the wall. Perpendicular to this wall, on the right, is a series
of windows in place of a wall, which look on to the University campus. Opposite are panels in orange and white that go from floor to ceiling, separating this area from the rest of the Reading Room. The panels have cuts outs so that they resemble tree trunks. The artwork is a series of tweets and images that are paired with a Myth statement and Truth statement. On the left-hand side of the interactive screen, all of the tweets are displayed for the viewer to select.
BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES The first tweet was posted by Qasim Rashid, esq. (twitter handle: @MuslimIQ). It states “To people complaining these sex abuse cases have created a world where men now have to think 10 times before they touch a woman. Yes, that’s the point. It’s called consent. Welcome to human decency. #BelieveSurvivors. The Myth statement reads: “#Myth: A woman’s clothing or behaviour encourages rape”. The truth statement says “#Truth: The perpetrator is solely responsible for rape”. The second tweet was posted by the same twitter user as the previous tweet. It reads “When I was 17 my best friend asked a girl to prom – she said “No”. He was heartbroken – so we devised a plan to ensure she’d never say no to him again. We respected her wishes & left her alone – that’s what decent ppl do. Stop rationalising sexual assault.” The myth statement says “#Myth: Rapes are committed by a stranger, and the truth statement says “#Truth: Most victims are raped by their partner or an acquaintance”. The third tweet was posted by Julius Goat (twitter handle: @JuliusGoat). This tweet says “Women: We live in a constant state of vigilance because men pose a constant threat to us, here are literally millions of corroborating stories. Men: What a scary time for men this is”. The accompanying myth statement is “#Myth: Only young, conventionally attractive women get raped”, and the truth statement says “#Truth: Women of all backgrounds, ages, ethnicities and abilities get raped. The fourth tweet was created by Theo Leigh (twitter handle: @1000DaysOfRain). It says “Don’t be anywhere. 100% of rapes happen in places and locations. #safetytipsforladies”. The myth statement for this tweet is “#Myth: A husband cannot rape his wife”. The truth statement says “#Truth: Rape within marriage is a serious criminal offence. The fifth item in this series is a photograph of a young woman lying on a brown sofa with her eyes closed. She is holding a red solo cup, and five more are scattered around her. She is wearing glasses, a white, sleeveless top, light blue jeans, and tan heeled boots. Her legs are spread apart. Her left leg rests outstretched on the sofa, her right leg is bent, with her foot resting on the ground. This scene is set outside on a sunny day, and resting against the sofa is a large white poster. It reads in large lettering “If I can’t say no, I can’t say yes. #IKnowNo”. The myth statement beside the photograph says “#Myth: Women lie about being raped”, whereas the truth statement states “#Truth: There are no more false allegations of rape than there are for other crimes, potentially fewer”. The next tweet was posted by Anahita Mukherji (twitter handle: @Newspaperwalli). It says “Guys, you know what it means when a woman is out late at night, drinking with you? It means she trusts you”. The accompanying myth statement reads “#Myth: Rape victims resist and fight during the attack”, and the truth statement says “#Truth: Many victims freeze and are too scared to resist or fight back”. The seventh item is a tweet made by Kristen Hanley Cardozo (twitter handle: @KHandozo). It says “Women dismissing stories of assault with “If that’s assault, then everyone I know has been assaulted” are so, so close to getting the point”. The myth statement says “#Myth: Sexual crimes are reported immediately”, and
the truth statement says “#Truth: Many rape victims do not tell anyone about being attacked and if they do report to the police, they may take years to do so”. The next item is an image of text. In a large, bold and black font, it reads “She’s someone’s sister (forward slash) mother (forward slash) daughter (forward slash) wife”. However, from the apostrophe-S to the end of the statement, there is a red line crossing this out, so that the statement now reads “She’s someone”. The myth statement for this item says “#Myth: Men rape because they lose control of their sexual desires”, and the truth statement says “#Truth: Rape is about exerting control, it is not caused by a loss of control. Next, a tweet by Anahita Mukerji is displayed (twitter handle: @Newspaperwalli). It reads “As #metoo hits India, I’m amazed at the no. of times alcohol has been used by men to excuse their behaviour. Isn’t it incredible that when women drink, they don’t turn into raging molesters and rapists. Interesting how alcohol only seems to have this effect one men. #TimesUp”. The myth statement for this tweet is “#Myth: Rape is a rare event”, and the truth statement says “#Truth: Between April 2017 and March 2018, 53,977 rapes were reported to the police alone”. A tweet by Aparna Nancherla (twitter handle: @aparnapkin) reads “Can we amend “boys will be boys” to “predators will be predators” so we’re not ascribing violent behaviour as “normal” to an entire gender expression (forward slash) identity”. The myth statement says “#Myth: Male rapists are gay”, but the truth statement says “#Truth: Male rape is most often committed by heterosexual men as a means of asserting power and dominance”. The final tweet was posted by Bill (twitter handle: @Billablog), saying “If you’re a man upset at being lumped in with rapists, attackers and general assholes just because of your gender, maybe take it up with the men who give us a bad name instead of women who have to be on guard 24/7 because of them”. The myth statement for this tweet it “#Myth: Women provoke rape”, while the truth statement reads “#Truth: The rapist is solely responsible for whether they rape or not”.