Women to Blame is a multimedia exhibition visually representing the events before, during and after the Eighth Amendment when Article 40.3.3 was inserted into the Irish Constitution. 

 

Over four decades of women in Ireland have been subject to repression, shaming and criminal sanctions in their attempts to express their sexuality and reproductive rights. Women's bodies have been the subject of Tribunals, Referenda, accusations and censorship. 

 

During a two month internship I turned stacks upon stacks of old flyers, posters, photographs, newspaper clippings and information and data into a chronological, cohesive, expressive and educational exhibition consisting of 12 information panels, a large billboard, illustrated map and window infographic.

This large scale window infographic details the recorded numbers of women travelling to the United Kingdom from Ireland each year to access safe and legal abortion from 1980 until today. The numbers of girls under the age of 16 is also picked out and the woman and girl illustrations are used to indicate scale along the timeline.

 

Beneath the bar chart is a visual representation of the legislation that has arisen directly from the insertion of the 8th Amendment. Individual women’s cases and stories are picked out in the circles above.