Feminism, Power, and Women
The shape of power is always the same: it is infinite, it is complex, it is forever branching. While it is alive like a tree, it is growing; while it contains itself, it is a multitude. Its directions are unpredictable; it obeys its own laws. No one can observe the acorn and extrapolate each vein in each leaf of the oak crown. The closer you look, the more various it becomes. However complex you think it is, it is more complex than that. Like the rivers to the ocean, like the lightning strike, it is obscene and uncontained. – Naomi Alderman, The Power
How can we use conceptual art to portray feminist ideas and their influence on society?
The History
Our journey into understanding this project begins at the very beginning, some would say, with Adam and Eve. Eve took a bite of the apple when she wasn’t supposed to, and bared the role of blame, starting humans on the path of pain, suffering, and a life without Eden. Now, that may not be a well documented historical example of the oppression of women, however it does serve a purpose as an early indication of how society has viewed women since the beginning. In this project we looked at several events that had an impact on women’s role in the world today, all the way from women’s suffrage to the fourth wave of feminism today. My notes on the history of women’s rights
The Book
History is only one piece of the puzzle/project, the second is dystopian literature. There were four books that groups of four people from the class read, my book was The Power by Naomi Alderman. This is a book set all over the world, in which women gain an electric power and can suddenly physically overpower men. We spent the most part of this project on these novels, diving into meaning, subtext, and ultimately coming to the conclusion about what the novel reveals about women’s role in society. We did group discussions, journals, backgrounders and reflections every week in order to further our understanding and make deeper connections to the real world. For me, the backgrounders and the group discussions were most helpful in gaining insight: Four Backgrounder
The Art
The third and final part of this project was discovering the joy that is conceptual art. At the winter exhibition, we were to present a conceptual art piece that was representative of a feminist idea that we noticed continuously in our books. I wasn’t able to attend the exhibition, nor create a fully fledged art piece, as I was leaving a week before the exhibition. However, I was able to come up with a complete idea that portrayed the feminist concept of power. It seems obvious that a book entitled The Power would leave me with thoughts about women’s overall power today, but it did take quite a bit of time and connecting to create a polished representation.
The Experience
This project truly broadened my horizons and gave me a bigger picture into what it means to be a woman. I think that the knowledge that can be passed down through history is one that is irreplaceable and will always be relevant, even as times get better. The feminist movement has become more inclusive, more open, more specific as the fight against inequality continues, and I believe that it’s important for everyone to be a feminist, for all genders. I’ve left a link to an article that I think captures my thoughts: What It Means To Be A Feminist
As always, thanks for reading!
indiras • January 10, 2024