by multi-media artist Tracy Satchwill
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| Film still from Hysterical Females |
'In 2018,
we will be marking the centenary of women’s suffrage. As an artist with a
passion for women’s history I wanted to create a film to commemorate the 100th
year anniversary. The majority of us know about the history of suffragettes:
the force-feeding, the protests, the breaking of windows, so I wanted to look
at it from a different angle, focusing on the core of the problem which was the
men’s behaviour towards women. This led me to look at the discrimination
against Edwardian women in general, starting from girlhood. Why were young
girls’ encouraged to suppress their ambitions? Why was marriage the only
vocation for women? Why was self-sacrifice in women deemed a biological duty?
Why didn’t politicians take women seriously? I wanted to communicate some of
these obstacles in my film.
My
interest in moving image was sparked last year whilst watching Rachel Maclean’s
video Feed Me at the British Art Show
in Norwich. The film was visually inviting and attractive however addressed ‘uncomfortable subject matter’ (British
Art Show 2015) such as the sexualisation of children and infantile behaviour of
adults. I realised elements of Maclean’s work could be applied to my own. I also
recognised that in moving image I could communicate much more information about
a narrative: being an audio, optic and tactile stimuli to the audience.
For the
project I gained a deep understanding of Edwardian women by reviewing personal
letters, scrapbooks, biographies and documents, gathered by historians,
feminists and sociologists. I found Girls
growing up in Victorian and Edwardian England a valuable resource for an
insight into the expectations of girls in the home, and as adults, and for
understanding the foundations of our contemporary society (Dyhouse, 1981).
Whilst
researching British women’s history I felt angered, inspired and enlightened, driven
to inform my audience about the fight for women’s freedom and independence and encourage
discourse around the topics of gender, identity and society. In today’s culture
these subjects are important to address at a time when the feminist perspective
is abandoned by many young women as ‘unpalatable’ due to the ‘vilification and
negation’ of the topic (McRobbie, 2009 p.1).
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| Film still from Hysterical Females |
In the
film I focused on the perceptions and experiences of people rather than factual
events, looking at feelings and emotions. I felt it could be difficult and
tedious to translate historical information creatively whilst keeping the facts
accurate. I approached the subject in a non-literal way, creating an aesthetic
surreal world, which communicated historical behaviours, attitudes and beliefs.
I looked at the different perspectives of Edwardian women from the viewpoint of
the politician, suffragette, anti-suffragist and husband. In the final film I
represented these characters as playful and theatrical, which would attract a
broader audience and the playful element would engage attention more
effectively than bare facts, drawing from the works of Rachel Maclean.
Hysterical Females is about a
young, curious but naïve woman called Esther who explores a visually inviting
but uncomfortable world where there’s a struggle between power and freedom. In
this domineering patriarchal society women are treated as victims and
represented as automated, unconscious and desired objects. Men are the
masterful creators and women dismembered, punched and severed art objects. The
protagonist is a living doll, a fusion between a toy and a young woman (Walter
2010, p2), converted into an uncanny animated lifeless object. The disturbing anti-utopian society is part
reality and part fantasy, with the narrative being both disruptive and
disjointed, with an emergence of the relevance and irrelevant.
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| Film still from Hysterical Females |
A rebellion, a radical change is
required to overcome and deconstruct the oppositions and boundaries of
patriarchal thought. The appearance of an angel signifies entering another
world. Her function is of prophecy, communication and guidance (Allmer 2009,
p.12). She is a suffragette, a savour of the women of today.
Collage was
the main medium used in the film, which corresponded to the popular women’s
pastime of the Victorian era, combined with the techniques of stop motion, live
action and animation, and the use of disjointed sounds, music and dialogue,
aiming to create a powerful emotive piece.
The
creation of my first film has been an enjoyable experience with the aim to
inspire the audience to find out more about women’s history and it’s importance
in our society today.
To watch the film, please click on the link below and use the password for access.
(password
epankhurst)
My next
project is a short video that urges women to embrace imperfections, expect less
of themselves and focus on what they care about. Not Enough Time is communicated through cuttings from contemporary
magazines, which puts pressure on women to live up to unrealistic expectations. '
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| Film still from Not Enough Time |
Tracy
Satchwill is a multi-media artist working in animation, film, sound and graphic
art. She is open to collaboration with writers, musicians and community groups.
For further information visit: www.tracysatchwill.com
References
Allmer, P. (2009) Angels
of anarchy: women artists and surrealism. Munich; London:
Prestel.
British Art Show 8, (2015) Rachel Maclean [Internet] Available at:
<http://britishartshow8.com/artists/rachel-maclean-1509> [Accessed August
2016]
Dyhouse, C. (1981) Girls Growing up in Victorian and Edwardian England. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
McRobbie, A., (2009) The
Aftermath of Feminism: Gender, Culture and Social Change. London: Sage.
Twells, A.
(2007), British Women’s History: A
documentary History from the Enlightenment to World War I, London: I. B. Tauris.
Walter, N., (2010) Living
Doll: The Return of Sexism. London: Virago Press.
