“What if..?”
Stereotypes are harmful when they result in a violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms and when they limit women's and men's capacity to develop their personal abilities, pursue their professional careers, and make choices about their lives and life plans.
Through the presentation of different-sized boxes, I seek to evoke the idea that we are often put in boxes of behaviours and expected life actions and choices. These norms have put us in boxes of specific behaviours and life actions. I connected all these norms to actual boxes showing that they follow and affect us in our everyday lives, no matter what we do.
Each box represents a specific element of social norms, and their arrangement within the exhibition space asks the audience to consider how these norms and expectations have a deep influence on us, regardless of our individual actions and choices. Through this work, I encourage visitors to ask questions and take a deeper look into the conventions that society imposes, and explore how to overcome them and create their own unique identity. I invite people to answer the question "what if an individual tries to break these boxes?".
I believe that by breaking the boxes, we can move beyond pretence and limitation of behaviour – whether it relates to gender, race, class, culture or any other element that shapes our identity. This project encourages visitors to reflect on the notion that we can redefine our own path within society, and ultimately take control of our own lives.
This piece was exhibited as the final work for the degree show in 2013, at Middlesex University - The Grove, The Burroughs, London.