Page History

Cosima Gilbert

Constricted Genders

Inkjet photograph

This work was created to explore the contrasting stereotypes; ‘hysterical women’ and ‘boys don’t cry’, and ways in which they impact the individual. I have examined similarities and differences between these gender binaries and considered the consequences of such constraints when employed by society to categorise people. The focus of the folio has been to examine different aspects of the gender stereotype or different effects these restraints have upon an individual.

I began my process by interrogating commonly expected gendered reactions, including boy’s crying and women screaming. However, as this process developed so did the potential directions, leading the work towards an exploration of more complex reactions. These included questions about women’s identity and ways in which women become two versions of themselves; an overt social expression of self and an internalised identity which exists as the truth about who they really are. My process also explored the dilemma for men, who are equally restricted by physical expressions of masculinity which constrain them from expressing emotions.

This work explores the ways in which the limitations of gendered stereotypes for both men and women are internalised by the individual and impact their function within society

Name: William Foster

Title of work: 1. Fridge in which bodies are stored 2. Preparing for funeral #1 3. Cupboard of mortuary room 4. Preparing for funeral #2 5. Mortuary room 6. Loading coffin into hearse

Medium: Inkjet Print

Over the past few years I have become fascinated with the topic of death and the industry that surrounds it, after researching about the practices surrounding death in other countries and reading a non-fiction book about the life of a mortuary technician within the U.K, I decided that I really disliked how the western world perceives death and the funeral industry so negatively. The people who work in the funeral industry are seen as ‘creepy’ or ‘strange’ when in fact they are everyday hard-working people who put a lot of emotion and care into their work. For my works I visited Gabrielle Walsh Funeral Services and photographed the space and the staff at work. The aim of my final works was to destigmatise the funeral industry and display that those who work in the industry are normal everyday people who work hard to help those during often, very emotional times. People see death as confronting, but if western countries discussed the topic more and made it less taboo, death would be perceived how it should be, just a part of life.