ONLY WORDS
CW: RACISM
(Description written in 2015)
This fragmented portrait of my daughter has been created including offensive words which she has been called, a number of inappropriate questions which have been asked, and comments which have been made about her over the course of her life so far, particularly during her last year of primary school.
These words have come from neighbours, classmates, school staff and strangers. My aim was to demonstrate how these words last longer than the fleeting moment it takes to say them, and to question the impact that this might have on my daughters identity. In fact, this portrait had to be changed three times within the space of a week to add new words after a particularly bad week. Since sending to print, there has been further abuse.
The 2014/2015 school year was difficult to say the least. Thankfully my daughter has left that school now and moved on to high school. I was told that parents are not punishing their children for being racist towards my daughter in school because they are offended at the suggestion that their children might say such horrible things, and was told at parents night that she hasnt done herself any favours in preventing this abuse. This attitude is what will allow racism to continue in a time when it should be eradicated in our multicultural, multiracial society.
Read More(Description written in 2015)
This fragmented portrait of my daughter has been created including offensive words which she has been called, a number of inappropriate questions which have been asked, and comments which have been made about her over the course of her life so far, particularly during her last year of primary school.
These words have come from neighbours, classmates, school staff and strangers. My aim was to demonstrate how these words last longer than the fleeting moment it takes to say them, and to question the impact that this might have on my daughters identity. In fact, this portrait had to be changed three times within the space of a week to add new words after a particularly bad week. Since sending to print, there has been further abuse.
The 2014/2015 school year was difficult to say the least. Thankfully my daughter has left that school now and moved on to high school. I was told that parents are not punishing their children for being racist towards my daughter in school because they are offended at the suggestion that their children might say such horrible things, and was told at parents night that she hasnt done herself any favours in preventing this abuse. This attitude is what will allow racism to continue in a time when it should be eradicated in our multicultural, multiracial society.
