An exhibition to celebrate and connect women going through menopause in Hackney. Having gone through a difficult menopause herself, local artist Catrin Osborne will advertise to meet local, diverse women, interview them and take two portraits of each (Sept '21). The portraits will be exhibited at Ridley Road Social Club with an opening night featuring women in the exhibition (2022). Each pair of photos and interview tells a story. Every women will go through the menopause but it can be a lonely and isolating time when we feel we cannot talk about it because of the stigma attached to it, particularly during Lockdown which can magnify existing mental health issues. This project aims to change this, connect women in the community and provide a visual art exhibition to light up the area of Ridley Road. The opening night and art exhibition will help connect women and celebrate a part of the community (eg. menopausal women) that have traditionally been made invisible and ignored by society.
What we'll deliver:
- Connect local menopausal women
- A pop up exhibition of photographs and interviews
- An opening night with performances from local menopausal women
Why it's a great idea:
The exhibition and opening night will bring colour, creativity, education (about what menopause can be like) and music to the local area. This will lessen the stigma around menopause, encourage women to talk and share experiences, enable society to better understand menopause and to celebrate older women. The women involved in the project will be offered the opportunity to stay in touch and therefore continue to offer each other support through a shared experience after the exhibition is over via a whats app or facebook group. This will enable women in the local area to support each other. This will improve their mental health and make them feel seen and heard where traditionally menopausal women are invisible and unheard. The exhibition will also benefit other members of the community who will learn about the menopause and be better able to support women in their community who are going through this transition. Every woman will go through menopause - friends, sisters, mums, partners.
Steps to get it done:
- Using networks to find women in the area who are going through menopasuse.
- Meeting, interviewing and photographing 10 women over 2 weeks.
- Developing and framing photographs.
- Installing exhibition in Ridley Road Community Centre.
- Organising opening night eg local band to perform.
- Opening night.
- 1 week of the exhibition.
- Take photos down and travel to other venues around the UK
- Create a whats app/facebook group for women to keep in touch and support each other
The project will engage women in the arts who may not normally do so. It will boost confidence in women going through menopause and make them feel empowered. It is joyful at a time when we are recovering from a pandemic - the photographs are colourful and fused with humour. The opening night will include a local band (one of the women is photographed) and provide them work - they haven't been able to perform during pandemic. It will provide work for a local artist. The work has a message beyond entertainment - it aims to change people's views and lessen the shame and stigma attached to women going through menopause, to begin a conversation around it, connecting women in their local community, through art and shared experience, to enable society to better understand menopause and therefore give them the tools to support women going through it. To celebrate and document local women and share their unique stories. It will promote leisure by providing a thought provoking, free exhibition.
