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So happy to be showing my piece 'Sock Sanitary Towel' at the Great Divide in Oxford. The event run by OVADA is on from the 28th Septmeber - 28th October.
Blood in art traditionally depicts heroism and martyrdom, since it is considered patriotic to spill your own blood for your country. However the blood in my piece celebrates the banal, to explore menstrual taboos and period poverty. The piece Sock Sanitary Towel, consists of a stained and embroidered sock mimicking menstrual blood, pinned to a pair of Union Jack pants. The embroidered label shows the recent Plan UK statistic, ’1 in 10 young women (aged 14-21) in the UK can’t afford sanitary towels’, with the reverse showing the #periodpoverty social media hashtag.
The work contrasts the UK’s projected image of prosperity and wealth – and the reality for many people experiencing poverty through low wages and high living costs. While poverty has a detrimental effect on any age group or gender; young women suffer disproportionately more due to their biological make-up. Some are forced to miss school during their period, or make improvised sanitary towels from socks or newspaper. Society seems willing to sacrifice the life chances of a generation, as menstrual taboos and societal scepticism, only serve to intensify the isolation and suffering. Access to food, shelter, fuel and hygiene is not a luxury, but a basic right.
Women’s underwear is often seen as erotic, as the work invites the viewer to peer into a secret world. However the appearance of menstrual blood makes the object taboo. Theorist Julia Kristeva believes the cultural rituals surrounding the body’s natural functioning, act as a control mechanism to preserve the structure of society. Exploring a taboo subject is a way of confronting conventional ideas that punish the vulnerable.
