Project Room base on The Lost Daughter
Set in the chapel atrium of the University of Lisbon’s School of Fine Arts, the project room for The Calling took advantage of the ominous and cavernous environment inherent to the space, the old place of worship for the original convent which the school now inhabits.
The choice of exhibition space took into consideration the overbearing presence of painted tiles and Christian imagery murals, as elements that could enhance an oppressive yet introspecting mood that would lend weight to the experience. Posters and projections featuring classical statues of motherhood contrasted yet engaged with the space, gaining an aura of formality and cultural history that reflects the traditional and almost institutional role of motherhood.
As visitors descended into the chapel atrium where the main exhibition objects and projections were placed, they were confronted with appeals to motherhood, news headlines reporting the low birth rates levels globally, while listening to female chants and loud cicadas croaking. Again, as in the objects, sound played a complementary part in establishing mood. As the voices connected the space to a reverent aura surrounding motherhood, the cicadas became a constant, unnerving presence of a natural world that grows inescapable and overbearing.
The choice of exhibition space took into consideration the overbearing presence of painted tiles and Christian imagery murals, as elements that could enhance an oppressive yet introspecting mood that would lend weight to the experience. Posters and projections featuring classical statues of motherhood contrasted yet engaged with the space, gaining an aura of formality and cultural history that reflects the traditional and almost institutional role of motherhood.
As visitors descended into the chapel atrium where the main exhibition objects and projections were placed, they were confronted with appeals to motherhood, news headlines reporting the low birth rates levels globally, while listening to female chants and loud cicadas croaking. Again, as in the objects, sound played a complementary part in establishing mood. As the voices connected the space to a reverent aura surrounding motherhood, the cicadas became a constant, unnerving presence of a natural world that grows inescapable and overbearing.
CALLIE
After several failed attempts, Callie remains an “Unnatural Mother”, the lowest category of motherhood which renders her ineligible for any benefits awarded by the system.
The reasons are never clear, but her intentions to become a mother are unquestionable, as she studies and prepares for each evaluation much like a religious ritual. Despite memorising and reciting all the lessons and concepts of what constitutes a natural mother, the society in which she looks to fit in and become a mother keeps her trapped in the screening system that continuously locks her out of any possibility of a life of her own choosing.
Callie thus becomes a representation for the systemic and covert ways in which social, political and economic structures exert their power by creating conditions in which women, in all its complexity and different paths, become trapped in a cycle of forced conformity only to be continuously negated, evaluated and exploited.
The reasons are never clear, but her intentions to become a mother are unquestionable, as she studies and prepares for each evaluation much like a religious ritual. Despite memorising and reciting all the lessons and concepts of what constitutes a natural mother, the society in which she looks to fit in and become a mother keeps her trapped in the screening system that continuously locks her out of any possibility of a life of her own choosing.
Callie thus becomes a representation for the systemic and covert ways in which social, political and economic structures exert their power by creating conditions in which women, in all its complexity and different paths, become trapped in a cycle of forced conformity only to be continuously negated, evaluated and exploited.
LEDA
Leda’s voice is her vehicle through which visitors find her role in the project room. It is through her that the interview process of the Calling is showcased, with its probing questions and driving narrative, as Leda searches for answers among her own doubts and financial pressures. However, despite her audio interview, in which she tries to fit into the narrative and be accepted as a natural mother, a messaging platform is presented, in which she vents to a friend her true feelings about the process, the prospect of becoming a mother and the pressures she’s under that forced her to take this path.
An emotional conversation that confirms her reservations towards motherhood and that is interrupted by notifications from her maternity-related benefits app, warning her of her debt status and dwindling cash-funds. It’s a glimpse into her life that further increases the weight of her decisions and lays out the different economic pressures that feed a social system built on exploiting society’s most vulnerable.
NINA
Images of Nina during her holidays with her child are displayed as the perfect motherhood experience. Serving as inspiration for future mothers, these images only feature moments of happiness and calm, nodding to an effortless nature of performing her motherly duties. As the name of the evaluation system suggests, motherhood is presented as a calling, a natural condition of femininity that should be pursued and seen as the ultimate validation of a woman.
However, as the visitor gazes at these perfectly constructed images, the sound object that accompanies this footage reveals the true scale of exploitation and control behind these communication strategies. In an interview, Nina can be heard telling the presenter the reality of being filmed while her daughter threw temper tantrums, cried and screamed. And how these edited, happy moments serve to maintain an aura of perfection against which other women will be judged and judge themselves.
PROJECT BY
Andreia Gil
Andreia Gil
Eduardo Féteira
Pedro Diogo Tavares
Raquel Gomes
A Communication Design VI project, FBAUL
Projeto realizado no âmbito da unidade curricular de Design de Comunicação VI na FBAUL
Pedro Diogo Tavares
Raquel Gomes
A Communication Design VI project, FBAUL
Projeto realizado no âmbito da unidade curricular de Design de Comunicação VI na FBAUL
