From Being Seen to Being Heard - The Quiet Rebellion

The Journey of Silent Heroines through a Quiet Rebellion - Fine Art Photography Series.

The series is a quiet reflection on the status of women across history, considered as property, allowed to be seen but not heard. Unless they had financial independence via heritage or being a widow, they could only play a minor role in society and had to follow conventions keeping the freedom of being themselves inside, rebelling quietly. My project aims to grow louder with every progressive era until we see woman's rights and their voice being celebrated at last!

This series starts with the renaissance period, inspired by renaissance and baroque paintings from painters like Artemisa Gentileschi, with a strong focus on playing with light, shadows, and shimmering fabrics. But also with the bewildering look of a woman who had to hide from who she was.

The series then moves on to the subsequent periods, Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian.

For the Regency period, I have imagined them as Jane Austen heroines getting stronger into affirming their will but still under the rules of their mothers and fathers and pressures of what society was expecting from them to marry and bring wealth to their family!

In the Victorian era, we can see an evolution in how they think, looking more mature and educated. However, it also raises a louder voice against social expectations. I have imagined my heroines as a victorian schoolmistress, Catherine Ernshaw from Wuthering Heights by Emilie Bronte, and Tess d"Urberville by Thomas Hardy. Both struggled with what being a woman meant at the time and finding their place in a society where women were not allowed forgiveness for who they were.

For the Edwardian period, my silent heroine moves more freely, and we can see that she wants to use her voice. Her outfits allow her to move in them. We can see the evolution of standing up for herself and taking a stronger societal stance. I aim to continue developing this project during the next periods, 1930s, 40s,50s,70s.