Section 2
Altered visions: a triptych on hyper-femininity, violence, vulnerability and shame
Lydia Heise
Abstract
Altered Visions consists of three photographic images that together offer an intimate visual exploration into the performance of, and often violent nature of hyper-femininity. Shot in black and white analogue film, the images bear a certain rough texture that both contrasts with and helps explore their subject matter, reflecting a dark underbelly of teenage girlhood. Mixing hyper-idealised feminine symbols and textures with the starkness of their location, the photographs allude to the kind of violence, vulnerability and shame that is enacted when fantasy, dreams and expectations collide with the harshness of reality. Altered Visionsalso uses the body, whether tangled, static or huddled, to explore the ways in which a certain violence occurs through power imbalances between both voyeur / voyee, and young women versus overbearing, limiting and often unrealistic societal expectations.
Keywords
Gender; Art; Creativity; Femininity; Violence
FIGURE ONE: VIOLENCE
FIGURE TWO: VULNERABILITY
FIGURE THREE: SHAME
ERA Research statement
Research background
Altered Visions was completed during a period of cross-institutional study. This project explores the themes of gender, specifically the performance of hyper-femininity, transporting and demonstrating them tangibly within a more visual and creative space. My chosen medium was black and white analogue film which I developed myself, giving the images a certain rough texture that both contrasts with and helps explore their subject matter.
Research contribution
These images reflect and represent a dark underbelly of teenage girlhood. Mixing hyper-idealised feminine symbols and textures with the starkness of their location, the photographs allude to the kind of violence, vulnerability and shame that is enacted when fantasy, dreams and expectations collide with the harshness of reality. Altered Visions also uses the body, whether tangled, static or huddled, to explore the ways in which a certain violence occurs through power imbalances between both voyeur / voyee, and young women versus overbearing, limiting and often unrealistic societal expectations.
Research significance
Altered Visions is an intimate visual exploration into the performance of, and often violent nature of hyper-femininity. The images have been accepted for publication in a reputable refereed journal.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License.
ISSN: 2202-2546
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