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J rocess ourna
d a t a c o l l e c t i o n s t o r i e s i n t e r v i e w s i n s p i r a t i o n s C o n c e p t
hase 02
Research
Research phase started in practice 1 - Initial idea I was planning to create an online platform (( Marira )) “real-life stories recounting the experiences of girls with unwanted/early marriage”
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“Mareera”, a project that presents real-life stories of girls interviewed in the city of Irbid located in the northern part of Jordan, . The project aims to translate these known butand yet unacknowledged experiences and stories to challenge oppressive traditions and call for women’s empowerment in their local context.
Part of the interviews I had were also with refugee women and young girls and those stories are the most touching to me, it wasn’t just about early marriage, it was about displacement, traumas, loss, abuse, uncertainty and losing the basic of human rights.
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In practice 02 I decided to tell the narrative and translate those stories in a piece using the power of design and fashion.
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This picture I took drives me to do what I do. I believe these faces deserve a better life they don't deserve to go through what their mothers been through(early marriage) ,they should live their childhoods.
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Fig.01 Syrian Family living in a tent - Jordan (2019)
Data collection
At the beginning of practice 02 I started to connect with refugee women inside Zataari remotely on social media platform.
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below you’ll see questions I asked refugee women to get deeper into their perspective of life, and the experience of displacement, and more questions about their experience with early marriage.
Data collection
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Connecting with refugee women
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Stories
SOME OF THE STORIES
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Though the details of these stories differ, they reflect common and shared experiences that many women face in their lifetime weather in camps or outsid camps.
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Below is a sample of stories that shed light on some of the girls and their relationship with their families, with a particular focus on the topic of marriage.
Stories
Bayan “the biggest change in my life after marriage, was withdrawal from school, besides I have been forced to wear Jelbab (Long dress), I couldn’t go out by my own, my husband accompanied me everywhere. My in-laws blamed me all the time for slipups I’m not aware of ”.
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Asma “marrying at early age is a disaster, a child can’t perform well in bed and a child can’t raise a child, young girl also can’t cope with big obligations”.
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Fatima Got married at the age of 16 divorced a year after, early marriage to her was unpleasant life changing experience. Fatima commented “I never lived my childhood my ex-husband was beating me because I was not aware of my responsibility. My family convinced me to marry I did not want”.
Stories
Baraa marriage is a great responsibility and exhausting. Baraa has two young daughters and wishes not to marry them young, however the husband controls the decision.
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Etezaz got married at the age of 16 she thinks early marriage does not mean the failure of marriage all the time, she lives a happy life.
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Yasmeen “although I chose to get married early at the age of 16, this was the biggest mistake I have ever made. I left my comfort zone and freedom when I got married. Currently, I am 19 years old with two daughters, my body is too drained�
Stories
Nour "All I wanted is to live a normal life and go to school, I used to enjoy spending time with my girlfriends" Forced to marry a 40 year old man at the age of 16, had 2 kids at the age of 18. ( Nour is back to school, following her dream to go to university ) Lubna "For every girl that is still young, live your childhood and do not grow up faster than you need to" Got married at the age of 17, she lost her family in the war, and got divorced after. she's raising 4 children by her self .Lubna tried to commit suicide once.
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Muna "After 20 years of marriage I still see my husband as a stranger, I get panic attacks every time he ask me to sleep with me" Muna was 15 when she got married, she has 5 children, she developed PTSD after her first night with her husband. ( Muna is trying her best to spread awareness among newly weds Syrian women to educate them about sexual health )
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( Lubna is a brave women she managed to work from home, and provide education to her kids)
Inspirations
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My Idea was to create a statement piece where I can embed stories in that are handmade by refugee women. ( I thought of creating public art piece, like a huge piece of fabric, where I can use different mediums to resemble my msg )
Inspirations
At the beginning I was limiting myself thinking of a final outcome and thinking of small details. Because of COVID19 I was very uncertain of how I will achieve my idea, it created more challenges like communicating with the refugees. However, after discussing my idea with my tutor Sass Brown, she influenced me a lot I remember her saying don’t give up easily and don’t choose the easy option, so I decided to challenge and push myself more. Sass Brown exposed me to many projects that are very inspiring.
fore example :
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The Red Dress by Kirstie Macleod Dress For Our Time by Helen Storey
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I was very influnced by those 2 projects
Inspirations Embroiderers include refugees in Palestine, victims of civil war in Kosovo, Rwanda and DR Congo, individuals in South Africa, Kenya, Japan, Paris, Sweden and Peru, upmarket studios in Bombay and Saudi Arabia, artists in Wales and Colombia alongside initiatives to support women in poverty such as Missibaba in Cape Town, South Africa, and FanSina working with Bedouin embroiderers based in the mountains above St Catherine's in Egypt's Sinai.
Dress For Our Time by Helen Storey
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The dress is created from a decommissioned UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) refugee tent that once housed a displaced Syrian family at Za'atari Camp in Jordan, and was gifted to the project by UNHCR. In giving the tent a second life, it endows this public art installation with an unbreakable bond to humanity and represents the importance of nurturing and protecting all people and safeguarding generations to come.
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The Red Dress by Kirstie Macleod
Inspirations
ART WITH FORMER ISIS SLAVES | KURDISTAN
By Hannah Rose Thomas
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Actively campaign for the rights & protection of refugees.
Inspirations
Drosos: Empowering women through Vocational Training
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Girls Not Brides is a global partnership of more than 1400 civil society organisations committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfil their potential.
Inspirations
Refugee wear - Habitent Confronting the period of global economic crisis and Gulf War, Refuge Wear (1992-98) series, are portable habitats that can be transformed into clothing to offer protection from harsh conditions and shelter in emergency situations.
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Alice is working on a local level to connect personally with individual women and children refugees and asylum seekers, asking them to work with her to contribute to and inform new monumental stitched artworks. These artworks are inspired by the strength, resilience, and hospitality of refugees and asylum seekers whom she and her family have worked with.
ACCORDING TO STUDIES EACH YEAR, 12 MILLION GIRLS ARE MARRIED BEFORE THE AGE OF 18. THAT IS 23 GIRLS EVERY MINUTE. NEARLY 1 EVERY 3 SECONDS. P
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CHILD MARRIAGE IS ANY FORMAL MARRIAGE OR INFORMAL UNION WHERE ONE OR BOTH OF THE PARTIES ARE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE.
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Concept
All of the women I met and interviewed, got married early, and they were mindful of the marriage consequences, for them, early marriage is essential to protect young girls from any potential sexual harassment, in their case as vulnerable people called “refugees”.
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From the conversations and readings I can address the following reasons behind marrying at young age: - “Customs and Traditions” - Extreme poverty and the lack of economic opportunities. - Fear of the risk of sexual harassment is among the main reasons for early marriage, parents feel they have no choice but to marry their daughters to protect them. - Religious believes encourage early marriage. - Men prefer to marry young girls because they can simply adjust to husband’s new lifestyle. Young girls are like dough and sponge. - The believe that young girls are sexually more active than old. - Parents fear for their girls of committing shameful behavior. - Out of school and beautiful girls are more likely get married at early age.
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Majority of girls, accept to marry early to guarantee more freedom and independency, to be surprised later by the extra amount of pressure and duties during the marriage.
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Young Syrian girls who are married early suffer from several physical and psychological health problems, their bodies are not fully developed yet to have sex or to conceive. As a result, Syrian refugee women face challenges regarding their sexual and reproductive health due to poverty, social norms and lack of awareness.
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Consept
R e f u g e e s
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Consept
Consept
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"Lots of girls cannot afford to organise the wedding that they want. So one girl usually owns a dress in the camp, and lends it to each girl who gets married."
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For many girls in camps, a white dress is a symbol of what they thought their marriage would be about.
Consept
My idea is to use art to express the untold stories about early marriage which have been shaped within the strains and characteristics of displacement.
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That has stories embeded in (Handcraftes made by refugee women)
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The concept is to create a weeding dress