On reflection of the Methods and Meaning topic this week, I’m reflecting on the project 100 Women of Oxford (100WOO) I exhibited in 2020 where I employed the strategy of asking one hundred women, in the comfort of their homes, a set of ten questions, that were used as conversation prompts.
My concept behind the project was an attempt to breakdown the social stereotypes of the city. From a personal level, the project allowed me to listen and learn from women in my community, who came from all walks of life.
I wasn’t outspoken as a girl and was in fact discouraged to have an opinion. Just like Gillian Wearing, she too had the inability to express herself as a child. And in the process of finding out more about someone else, I find out more about myself. This module introduced me to Gillian Wearing and I can see many similarities to her project Signs.
I presented this work with text under each portrait, a small quote from our 1-2 hour conversation. I invited each woman to read and edit before it went to print as an opportunity to include their own articulation. The final show was presented at The North Wall Art Gallery where the audience had the opportunity to brows and read as much or as little as they wanted, and I curated it so ‘heavier’ stories were balanced out by ‘lighter’ stories.
