DEFEAT FOR WOMEN
News of the Supreme Court's Decision to overturn Roe versus Wade fell hard on the women of New York on June 24, 2022. Defeat for Women depicts the reaction to the news, negating the federal constitutional right to an abortion reaching the ears, breaking the hearts of many. I saw women taking seats, trying to find breath, dizzied in disbelief that this could have happened. Within hours 17,000 people gathered in NYC’s Washington Square Park, sprawling out into the adjoining neighborhoods, calling for liberty, demanding free choice, insisting on basic human rights for women. It was an emotionally charged event, inclusive of all that wanted to participate. Women of all ages, all cultures, stood side by side, shouting, crying, empowering, an energy that embodied all that was there, connected by a single common thread woven throughout all humanity, being a woman! ‘Women’, the single common factor that created strength in our unity. My camera became my voice, each click of the shutter a cry for justice. I was not documenting but participating, as a woman in protest for change, in solidarity with all that were there, having a voice for those who were not. This Book represents the linkage we share, the bond that will give us the courage and strength to fight for our basic rights as women in a free democratic society.
Defeat is the seed for change, the inspiration to find strength through conviction, creating the power to motivate and communicate. I see defeat as a connective, collective energy. A fiber optic thread weaving through humanity, communicating, and translating intellectual and emotional charges, into powerful motivation for change. The common scars we bear become inspiration to create a better future.
I have created a large leporello (Accordion Book) of the dramatic event that took place on June 24, the images are powerful and speak out loudly against this ruling in the USA. The Book spans along a large semi circle table to envelope you like the crowds experienced that day. There is a soundtrack from the protest that accompanies the instillation where you hear the cry and voices and words of women at the protest. There is a string of led lights that weave through the book to represent the genetic link we all share as women. This is an important time for women around the world, and my instillation helps our voices be heard.
