Muslim Women Should Not Stand Out

WIP Group’s Honorary Chair, Karen Knorr HonFRPS, interviews Jodie Bateman, one of her students at the University for the Creative Arts for WE ARE Magazine.

Jodie Bateman is a fine-art photographer who was born and raised in South London. Her first interest was in the way that photography can convey social messages and how she could use the medium to express personal feelings.

Since converting to Islam in 2017, Bateman’s work started to shift and her interest now is in investigating and questioning the stereotypes associated with being a Muslim living in Western society. Bateman intends to expose the difficulties Muslims experience in the West, and hopes to bring awareness to the situation and ultimately a change in society’s attitudes. Bateman is particularly interested in how Muslim women have been poorly represented, especially because of their choice to cover up and their dress style. Since migrating from London to the rural town of Godalming in Surrey, her work began to focus on her presence as a Muslim woman in smalltown English society. Bateman’s work explores the question of how to belong. She photographs herself and her family in thought provoking ways using medium format film photography. She challenges us to think in new ways about the people around us.

KK: What made you want to use and study photography? Why photography?

I fell in love with photography at a young age. I was told growing up that I should do what makes me happy. So, when deciding for college and university, photography was always my first thought. I love the process and the control I have behind the camera and how I am able to express myself in the process of shooting an image; having it, editing it, exploring the context behind photographs. Everything about it really is why photography. It’s like going into another world - it’s so powerful.

KK: During 2020 and 2021 you produced three bodies of work which you presented to me via Zoom during lockdown. Can you describe these projects to us?

In the first project, The Odd Born, I shoot my own extended family. I’ve always liked the intrusive type of photography - like Richard Billingham. Also, shooting my family is easy and comfortable as I have access to them. I love documentary photography and I think my family’s dynamic is intriguing and interesting enough to point the camera at it. I started shooting them when I was an undergraduate.

KK: Tell me about that title The Odd Born and what it means to you? How many works are in this series?

I have a folder edited down to around 50 images mostly shot on digital and some with a disposal film camera similar to one used by my mum to document our family. The title is something my mum used to say to me as a joke growing up so I’m just kind of playing with that.

In my second project, Muslim Women Should Not Stand Out, the series of work I created was a response to a time in my life where I was being told how to dress and behave as a Muslim woman. I have also posed the model (my sister) in ways that show what the beautiful things in Islam are to me. I was doing a project alongside it which was so negative and hurting me so I wanted to create something beautiful.

KK: What do you mean by beauty? You mention beautiful things in Islam. What are those “beautiful things” that you are developing?

At the time, I was researching the negative stereotypes of Muslim women and I came across a lot of hate speech and misconceptions of the religion. Yet my religion is so beautiful and peaceful. I wanted to capture this somehow. There are several things in the religion that changed my life so much and brought peace and meaning to me. For instance: the prayer, making “dua" (calling to God saying personal prayers like speaking directly to God), pointing your finger whilst saying the shahada (declaration of faith) daily with the prayer, the niqab and hijab covering up as a Muslim, which I have tried to interpret in these images.

The third is my all-time best project My Hijab Has a Voice: Revisited . This project was based around the negative stereotypes there are around Muslim women; about the hijab, choosing to cover up etc. I just became so passionate to try and change people’s minds and get people to hear from a Muslim woman directly.

KK: The Quran at its strictest seems to be against representation. How do you reconcile your practice with this? I understand the Quran does not explicitly prohibit visual representation of any living being. It uses the word musawwir (maker of forms, artist) as an epithet of God. Muslims have interpreted these prohibitions in different ways in different times and places. How do you interpret it?

Yes. In Islam it is said that image making is a very big sin. Long ago, when the Quran was sent to us, there was no such thing as cameras yet.

I do question myself a lot about this and there are two different opinions among the scholars.

First being that only if you paint, draw or sculpt living beings with faces, it is prohibited as it is trying to mimic and ‘create’ what God has.

Second, that taking a picture is capturing an image, not creating one.

I believe that taking a picture of the creation is ok so long as you don’t manipulate (i.e., in Photoshop) by changing the body size or even removing one spot from the person’s face etc.

KK: What about humour, are you interested in it?

I believe with some subjects it’s good to have humour. It could even be used as a form of mocking people’s bad ways in a clever way. I would love to be able to do that.

KK: Presently your work explores the representation of women in Muslim culture by turning the camera on your sister, family members and yourself. How did you start, and could you tell us about the work process?

I started with self-portraits. I was a single mum in my third year of Uni. I had become a Muslim. I am a little shy/awkward to put myself out there by asking to shoot other people, so I turned the camera on myself. I really enjoyed it. I never imagined I would ever do self-portraits because I hated to be on the other side of the camera. But it was fun! As I began to research more, I discovered paintings and scenes I wanted to recreate. I needed someone else to help me do that and I love working with my little sister. She is my muse and we have fun together. My project developed and became personal. I thought that as a convert, it’s an interesting story to tell. I had all this research and I needed to express myself and share my story and experiences first.

KK: You seem to be referring to 19th century Western painters, particularly Orientalism and the Pre-Raphaelites. There is also an Indian miniature painting of the idea of capturing “rasa” or flavour and emotion. Have you

To be honest I haven’t actually stepped out of looking beyond Western type paintings. It’s a good idea you’ve put forward to explore other paintings. I am intrigued to learn more now.

KK: Which contemporary artists and photographers inspire your work?

To name but a few: Lalla Essaydi; Shirin Neshat; Richard Billingham; Karen Knorr; Anna Fox; Nick Waplington.

KK: In your early undergraduate work, you experimented with written text that you inscribed in the fabric of your clothes. What changed in your work as you now work differently?

My research broadened and there is a lot more information and context in the images. It seemed the text wasn’t needed anymore, although I do hope to continue to work with the text and fabrics again. I think it’s a beautiful idea and can really change an image.

KK: Covid has given you more time to think and consider your work with less stress around childcare. I think the problem for women who are still the main carers in the family is often how to find the headspace and also the finances to develop one’s photographic practice. What about online submissions? How has that impacted on your work and how it gets received?

Yes, I do agree. The hardest thing is finding the headspace during my years as a student. I would only find that time at night when my son was asleep. I would stay up late drinking coffee, doing my work and then up early in the morning drinking coffee, trying to get through the day. It’s really hard but it’s all worth it. Not having the finances is holding me back a lot which is really frustrating.

Motherhood makes it harder to be flexible and get work, or to even create work. But at the same time, it makes me more determined to work harder. Covid has also helped by making work online more accessible and it’s easier to collaborate with others online. I don’t have to worry about childcare so much.

Online submissions have been fantastic. I apply to as many as I can. It’s great exposure and I gain experience talking about my work.

KK: What are your future plans?

I am currently working on a new project which allows me to come out of my comfort zone. I’ve told my story and shared my experience with the hijab and I’m now branching out to other Muslim women to make the project broader and more impactful. I would love to become a teacher one day so getting my PGCE is in the plan. I will also focus on getting more experience in the art world and to get more work done with my own photography projects and to keep putting myself out there.

KK: That is great news that you are developing a new project. Can you reveal to us how photography makes you feel safe to take risks?

I believe it’s because if you care about something so much, if your heart and mind is in it deep, the obstacles and risks are just something you overcome. Because I am in control of the situation, what I capture, what I edit, it’s all up to me.

Visit Jodie’s website to see more of her work.