Just the Way We Are

Just the Way We Are was a collaborative project set up in response to research I conducted as part of my MA in Fine Art with Falmouth University.  The research project I undertook was about how female figurative artists were able to challenge ageism through their depictions of ageing bodies.  I focused on the work of Joan Semmel, Marilyn Minter and Cindy Sherman and was also influenced by Margaret Morganroth Gullette’s “Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People”.

I invited a group of women, between the ages of 50 and 80, to meet weekly over the month of March 2024 to discuss and collage in response to questions about ageing and ageism.  Over the course of the workshops, there were some fascinating conversations about the benefits of ageing, the sharing of experiences of ageism and challenge between group members about what ageing means to each individual.  Each member of the group was invited to curate their own photographic portrait, with the help of photographer Mark Ruddick, which they added into their own collages.  

The project culminated in an exhibition at Barnstaple Library where members of the public were invited to respond to the work and also try some collage.  The outcome of the project was a celebration of the confidence associated with ageing and experience.

Through this project, I was able to develop my use of collage in group settings,  as a documentary tool, as well as considering how text can be used in collage to ‘hear the author’s voice’.