We welcome requests to exhibit Silent Tears both nationally and internationally. Venues need to consider freight and travel costs for artists and participants. For both national and international venues, we suggest including a forum, workshop and/or artist talk to allow audiences to respond to the content of the exhibition. Please contact us HERE if you would like to host the exhibition.
LOGISTICS
There are several components to the exhibition, we are happy to collaborate with curators and venues to present a selection of the works, to ensure the integrity and intent of the project is aligned.
• 50 laser prints Duro Clear 100 x 67cm images on clear perspex – suspended from the gallery ceiling (Artist: Belinda Mason)
• 50 framed 50 x 61cm black and white documentary images – using standard gallery D ring hanging system (Artists: Margherita Coppolino and Denise Beckwith)
• a video installation with 20 ipads, can be presented as a single loop projection or monitor (Artist: Dieter Knierim)
• soundscape
• online app for people with sensory, cognitive and learning impairments
• artwork hard and soft copy of text panels for each artwork
• catalog, including essays by artists participants and key figures
• media kit, including press release, 6 images, fact sheet, artist bios and project outline
• graphic design templates for invitations and posters
• education kit or forum discussion outline
ARTISTIC VISION
Film and photography have a well-regarded role in bringing the plight of silent victims into focus, providing a powerful opportunity for understanding and action. Bearing witness to the realities of lives of these women should be uncomfortable and challenging for audiences. When women with disability find the courage to speak about the violence that they have experienced, they often find themselves forgotten or simply left out of the conversation. Silent Tears gives them the opportunity to tell you exactly how they feel.
The participants of Silent Tears have collaborated as protagonists with the three artists, creating works based on the stories of women with disability whose experiences include: psychological, physical, emotional, economic, and cultural violence. They have shared their stories that include: domestic violence, forced sterilisation, psychological trauma, female genital mutilation, and neglect and sexual abuse within institutions or by family members. Audiences can expect to experience a deeper understanding of the diversity of violence, discrimination and survival.
Exposure to violence can normalise the situation for the perpetrator, victim and the audience. Silent Tears intentionally maintains a constant pressure through its curatorial approach. Each woman was photographed by each of the three artists.
The viewer first sees Denise’s documentary black and white photographs, which illustrate the everyday lives of the women. They are portrayed at home, with family or friends, in scenes that are familiar to us all. Beside each image, each story can be read, and as the viewer does so, they can hear the eerie sound of water and chimes.
The viewer moves into the second part of the exhibition, where artist, Belinda has focused on the moment when silent tears fall. These are internal portraits rather than external ones. The photographs are produced as large suspended images, which freeze the moment capturing the viewer within it. The transparent materials, on which the images were printed, reflect the invisible yet visible nature of violence against women. As the viewer walks around the artworks, they can hear each woman speak the words read earlier.
In the multi-screen video installation by artist Dieter, the still portraits come alive, and the viewer can see and hear all women move and speak at once along with the sounds of the water and chimes. This is significant, as, if women were to stay silent, they would remain voiceless. Without their stories heard, they are invisible. For those who listen, it is also hard, especially when the stories are difficult to hear and often impossible to imagine.
Silent Tears has touched many raw nerves, and support has been made available for the viewers, participants and artists. The images that we have created, are shown in the community where the participants live, shining a torch into the dark corners that many would prefer no light was shed. The images do not portray violence, but they don’t need to, instead they captivate you with a familiar intimacy before revealing a hidden truth.