RESEARCH AND INSPIRATION
THE EXPLORATION BEGAN WITH A FOCUS ON HISTORICAL INSTANCES OF FEMALE ANGER. AMIDST A WEALTH OF MATERIAL, THE FIGURE OF MEDUSA STOOD OUT, AN ANCIENT BEING WHOSE NARRATIVE INVOLVES VICTIM BLAMING, AND TRANSFORMATION INTO A MONSTROUS ENTITY DUE TO HER PERCEIVED TRANSGRESSIONS. THIS PROMPTED A BROADER INVESTIGATION INTO OTHER FOLKLORE MONSTERS, PARTICULARLY NOTING A RECURRING PATTERN: THE MAJORITY OF THESE MONSTERS WERE PORTRAYED AS FEMALE, OFTEN UNJUSTLY TREATED BY DEITIES, OSTRACIZED FOR DEVIATING FROM SOCIETAL NORMS, OR SIMPLY MISUNDERSTOOD. THIS OBSERVATION LED TO A CRITICAL QUESTION: WHY WERE THESE MONSTERS PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE, AND WHY WERE THEIR STORIES OFTEN INTERTWINED WITH THEMES OF MALE DOMINATION AND CONTROL OVER FEMALE POWER?
THE ANSWER, AS ENCAPSULATED BY THE QUOTE, WAS UNSETTLING: THESE MYTHS OFTEN SERVED TO PERPETUATE MALE FEARS OF FEMALE POTENCY, FULFILLING A NARRATIVE FANTASY OF SUBDUING AND MASTERING FEMININE STRENGTH. DISCONTENT WITH THIS NARRATIVE, THE FOCUS SHIFTED TOWARDS A MORE EMPOWERED PERSPECTIVE. RESEARCHING FEMALE MONSTERS FOR A COLLECTION, THE EMPHASIS WAS ON UNDERSTANDING THEIR ANGER AND RECLAIMING THEIR STORIES FROM A LENS OF EMPOWERMENT. RECOGNIZING THAT THEIR ANGER WAS A JUSTIFIED RESPONSE TO MISTREATMENT, THE AIM WAS TO FIND BEAUTY IN THEIR CURSES AND SO-CALLED "HORRIFIC APPEARANCES," BLENDING THESE NARRATIVES WITH DEPICTIONS OF ANGRY WOMEN THROUGHOUT HISTORY. THE RESULTING THEME, "RAGE CONSUMES HER," SERVES AS A TRIBUTE TO ALL THE WOMEN THROUGHOUT TIME WHO HAVE BEEN MARGINALIZED, OPPRESSED, AND ENRAGED BY INJUSTICE.
FEMALE MONSTERS
SHE IS A FEARFULL SIGHT. HER LONG GREY HAIR STREAM IN THE WIND, HUGE POINTY NOSE BLOCKS DEEPLY CRACKED SKIN. DRESSED IN RAGS SHE FLIES AROUND IN AN OVER-SIZED MORTAR AND LIVES IN A HOUSE ON A CHIKEN LEG DEEP IN THE FOREST.
SHE WAS ONCE A BEAUTIFUL WOMANWHO WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A MONSTER BY ATHENA AS A PUNISHMENT FOR BEING RAPED BY POSEIDON IN HER SHRINE. SHE IS AN ULTIMATE ANGRY WOMAN.
SPHINX
SHE IS MONSTER WITH A BODY OF A LION, THE HEAD AND BREAST OF A WOMAN, EAGLE'S WINGS AND, ACCORING TO SOME A SERPENT'S TAIL. SHE WAS SENT BY THE GODS TO PLAGUE THE TOWN OF THEBES AS PUNISHMENT FOR SOME ANTIENT CRIME, PREYING ON IT'S YOUTH AND DEVOURING ALL WHO FAILED TO SOLVE HER RIDDLE.
SIRENS REPRESENTS A STIKING COMBINATION OF THE FABULOUS, THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE OTHERWORDLY WITH THE MACABRE, THE HORRIFIC AND THE SINISTER. TODAY, SIRENS ARE REPRESENTED AS MERMAIDS WHO LURES SAILORS TO DESTRUCTION BY THE SWEETNESS OF HER SONG, HOWEVER GREEKS UNDERSTOOD THE SIRENS AS HALF WOMAN HALF BIRD. THE FABULAE OF HYGINUS HAS DEMETER CURSING THE SIRENS FOR FAILING TO INTERVENE IN THE ABDUCTION OF PERSEPHONE. ACCORDING TO HYGINUS, SIRENS WERE FATED TO LIVE ONLY UNTIL THE MORTALS WHO HEARD THEIR SONGS WERE ABLE TO PASS BY THEM
SIRENS
BABA YAGA
MEDUSA
HARPIES
HARPIES REPRESENTS A STIKING COMBINATION OF THE FABULOUS, THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE OTHERWORDLY WITH THE MACABRE, THE HORRIFIC AND THE SINISTER. IN THE STORY OF PHINEUS THE HARPIES CARRY OFF OR DEFILE ALL HIS FOOD, THOUGH THEY ARE NOT ABOVE KIDNAPPING PEOPLE AS WELL. THEY ARE SOMETIMES REGARDED AS EMBODIMENTS OF THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF THE WIND AND WERE CONSIDEREDSPIRITS RATHER THAN TRUE FLESH AND BLOOD.
ALSO SPELLED LILIT, LILITU, OR LILIS, IS A FEMALE FIGURE IN MESOPOTAMIAN AND JEWISH MYTHOLOGY, THEORIZED TO BE THE FIRST WIFE OF ADAM AND A PRIMORDIAL SHE-DEMON. LILITH IS CITED AS HAVING BEEN "BANISHED" FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN FOR NOT COMPLYING WITH AND OBEYING ADAM. IN HEBREW-LANGUAGE TEXTS, THE TERM LILITH OR LILIT (TRANSLATED AS "NIGHT CREATURES", "NIGHT MONSTER", "NIGHT HAG", OR "SCREECH OWL") FIRST OCCURS IN A LIST OF ANIMALS IN ISAIAH 34. COMMENTATORS AND INTERPRETERS OFTEN ENVISION THE FIGURE OF LILITH AS A DANGEROUS DEMON OF THE NIGHT, WHO IS SEXUALLY WANTON, AND WHO STEALS BABIES IN THE DARKNESS.
LILITH
LA LLORONA
MESMERISINGLY BEAUTIFUL, LA LLORONA IS SAID TO STALK THE BANKS OF THE RIO GRANDE. HER LONG BLACK HAIR SHINING LIKE MOONLIT WATER. SHE KEENS AND WAILS INTO THE NIGHT 'AY, MIS HIJOS!' ('OH, MY CHILDREN') AND FLOATS INCHES ABOVE THE SHALLOWS. LA LLORONA WILL GET YOU!' IF SHE SPOTS AN ERRANT CHILD, SHE WILL HAUL HER SCREAMING AND TERRIFIED INTO THE DEEPER WATER, HOLDING HER UNDER UNTIL HER LITTLE BODY BECOMES LIFELESS.
IN THE POETIC EDDA, PROSE EDDA, AND HEIMSKRINGLA, HEL IS REFERRED TO AS A DAUGHTER OF LOKI. IN THE PROSE EDDA BOOK GYLFAGINNING, HEL IS DESCRIBED AS HAVING BEEN APPOINTED BY THE GOD ODIN AS RULER OF A REALM OF THE SAME NAME, LOCATED IN NIFLHEIM. IN THE SAME SOURCE, HER APPEARANCE IS DESCRIBED AS HALF BLUE AND HALF FLESH-COLOURED AND FURTHER AS HAVING A GLOOMY, DOWNCAST APPEARANCE. THE PROSE EDDA DETAILS THAT HEL RULES OVER VAST MANSIONS WITH MANY SERVANTS IN HER UNDERWORLD REALM AND PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE ATTEMPTED RESURRECTION OF THE GOD BALDR.
HEL
ANGER IN WOMEN
ANGER AS AN EMOTION AND THE HOW IT MANIFESTS IN WOMEN
HISTORICALLY, “ANGRY WOMEN” HAVE BEEN AND CONTINUE TO BE BRANDED TROUBLEMAKERS. BUT THEY HAVE USED THEIR ANGER TO FIGHT INJUSTICE, INTOLERANCE, LACK OF REPRESENTATION, INEQUALITY AND MORE. IN THIS CONTEXT, ANGER IN WOMEN IS BEING USED CONSTRUCTIVELY.
MEN ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO STRIKE OUT AT ANOTHER PERSON OR OBJECT IN ANGER, WHILE WOMEN ARE MORE PRONE TO EXPRESS ANGER INDIRECTLY OR TURN IT ON THEMSELVES.
“SO WOMEN INTERNALISE THAT ANGER, AND IT’S EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF DESPAIR OR SADNESS. WE LEARN THAT CRYING IS SEEN MORE SYMPATHETICALLY.” IF YOU LIFT THE LID YOU END UP WITH THIS WELL OF RAGE. WOMEN ARE AFRAID TO EXPRESS IT BUT THE RELIEF WHEN YOU DO IS HUGE
IT IS SQUARELY GROUNDED IN INTERPERSONAL INTERACTIONS IN WHICH PEOPLE DENY WOMEN POWER OR RESOURCES, TREAT THEM UNJUSTLY, OR BEHAVE IRRESPONSIBLY TOWARD THEM.
THE PRECIPITANT OF ANGER WAS UNFAIR AND/OR DISRESPECTFUL TREATMENT OR LACK OF RECIPROCITY IN RELATIONSHIPS. WHEN THE ANGER WAS CONFINED WITHIN SELF, THE WOMAN FELT HELPLESS AND POWERLESS. HOWEVER, POWERLESSNESS WAS ALSO EVIDENT WHEN ANGER WAS EXTERNALIZED IN AN OUTBURST. TO THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS, AN ANGRY OUTBURST MEANT A LOSS OF CONTROL RATHER THAN ABILITY TO ACHIEVE CONTROL. WOMEN REPORTED A SENSE OF POWER WHEN USING ANGER TO RESTORE JUSTICE, RESPECT, AND RELATIONSHIP RECIPROCITY.
"MY BRAIN GOES BLANK AND I ABSENT-MINDEDLY RELEASE MY ANGER THROUGH PHYSICAL VIOLENCE TOWARDS MYSELF OR OBJECTS AROUND ME. I DON'T REALISE HOW DESTRUCTIVE I'VE BEEN UNTIL IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS."
WOMEN ARE ANGRY AND THAT IS VISIBLE IN REOCURING ROLES OF RAGING WOMEN IN FILMS AND MUSIC VIDEOS.
COLOUR
"IN EARLIER HISTORY THERE SEEM TO BE CURIOUS GAPS IN MAN’S KNOWLEDGE OF COLOUR. THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT THEY SAW BUT IDENTIFICATION AND SIGNIFICANCE CAN BE JUDGED FROM REFERENCES IN LITERATURE BLACK AND RED WERE PROBABLY THE FIRST COLOURS RECOGNIZED BY A NAME."
ALL-CONSUMING BLACK
"WITTGENSTEIN SAID THAT WE COULD NOT, IN A LAMP, HAVE A GREY OR BROWN LIGHT. BUT STILL GREY OR BROWN ARE MADE OF LIGHT, WHILE BLACK IS SAID TO HAVE NO LIGHT. IN THIS, BLACK IS LIKE NO OTHER COLOUR. NOR, IN EITHER LIGHTS OR PIGMENTS, CAN WE SPEAK OF A FAINT OR PALE BLACK AS WE SPEAK OF FAINT RED, LIGHT BLUE: THERE IS ONLY ‘SATURATED’ BLACK."
"BLACK ABSORBS ALL LIGHT AND REFLECTS NOTHING BACK. IT CAN CONJURE AN AIR OF MYSTERY, OFFER EMOTIONAL SAFETY BY CREATING AN PROTECTIVE BARRIER AND EVEN ALLOWS US TO HIDE."
BLACK COLOUR IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONNOTATES TO NEGATIVE EMOTIONS HOWEVER IN ARABIC IT IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE BEAUTY OF A WOMAN. I THOUGHT THAT PICKING BLACK AS A COLOUR PALETTE FOR THIS PROJECT IS VERY FITTING SINCE WOMEN'S ANGER OFTEN INCLUDES A MIX OF NEGATIVE FEELINGS HOWEVER I DIDN'T WANT TO PORTRAY ANGRY WOMAN AS THEY HAVE BEEN, I WANTEN MY COLLECTION TO REPRESENT THE RAGE BEAUTIFULLY.
"THE THEMATIC STRUCTURE OF WOMEN'S ANGER INVOLVED A BUILDING OVER TIME OF A CONFUSING MIXTURE OF FEELINGS (HURT, FRUSTRATION, DISILLUSIONMENT) PRECIPITATED BY A VIOLATION OF THE CORE VALUES OF THE SELF"
"THE DENOTATIONAL MEANING OF BLACK IN ENGLISH IS “HAVING THE DARKEST COLOR THERE IS, LIKE THE COLOR OF COAL OR A VERY DARK NIGHT” (CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY, N.D.). FOR INSTANCE, I WEAR A BLACK DRESS”. HERE, THE WORD BLACK’S DENOTATIVE MEANING RELATES TO ITS LITERAL MEANING: NAMELY, A DRESS THAT IS BLACK IN COLOR, LIKE THE NIGHT. YET, ITS CONNOTATIONAL MEANING IS NOT THE SAME; INSTEAD RELATES TO DIFFERENT EMOTIONS AND IDEAS. IN ENGLISH, BLACK TYPICALLY HAS NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS.
IN ARABIC, BLACK IS KNOWN AS (ASWAD), WHICH HAS A DENOTATIVE MEANING: THE DARKEST COLOR ON THE SPECTRUM, SUCH AS COAL. AS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, THE WORD (ASWAD) HAS SOME NEGATIVE ASSOCIATIONS AND MEANINGS, SUCH AS BLACK DAY (YAWMUN ASWAD), BAD LUCK AND BLACK-HEARTED, (ASWADU ALQALB), A MALICIOUS PERSON. HOWEVER, IN ARABIC, UNLIKE IN ENGLISH, BLACK IS TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH POSITIVE MEANINGS THAT ARE NOT FOUND IN ENGLISH, SUCH AS BEING USED TO POINT OUT THE BEAUTY OF WOMEN, LIKE BLACK HAIR (SHARUN ASWAD) AND BLACK EYES (EYOONUN SAWDA’A). FURTHER, DISSIMILAR TO ENGLISH CULTURE, BLACK SUITS ARE NOT WORN TO DENOTE RESPECT, NOR IS THE COLOR ASSOCIATED WITH FORMALITY, BUT RATHER TO SIGNIFY BEAUTY, ESPECIALLY THAT OF WOMEN.
