We are currently in the conceptual phase of this project. We are trying to come up with themes that we will focus our exhibition on. This process has proved to be difficult because there is a plethora of inspiration that we could draw from. Winnie Herbstein’s work is an attempt to understand housing issues through a feminist perspective. She analyses gender dynamics within housing and highlights aspects of Take Root. Take Root was a community initiative that attempted to construct a housing development for women, made by women. Unfortunately it was unsuccessful due to outside sources, but continues to be a source of inspiration as a possible solution to the housing struggles that women face. Winnie Herbstein’s work addresses these issues and engages with them. We, as a group, want to emulate these concerns and statements.
With that being said, we have come up with a few key themes that are at the root of our exhibition. These include:
- Housing/Home: With this theme we would like to evaluate the difference between what housing means compared to what home can mean. One of which is tied so deeply to comfort and safety, where as housing can be interpreted as a necessity and a point of contention in modern politics.
- Feminism and gender dynamics: Winnie Herbstein’s work is feminist art and through this theme we want to highlight this aspect of it. We want to take gender dynamics into account with the evaluation of a woman’s place in the home and the creation of a home. Women are so often excluded from the physical process of building a home, no matter how capable they are of doing so. Take Root is a massive inspiration for this theme.
- Resistance, activism, and legacy of resistance: We wanted to make sure that the exhibition we create is not only a place to bring attention to existing housing struggles, but a place where audiences can imagine solutions. The exhibition will focus on forms of community resistance that have pushed back against the oppressive norms that have kept power imbalances connected to housing in place. We aim to inspire.
- Sustainability, affordability: A large part of the brief and Winnie Herbstein’s work is sustainability. We want to make sure that we are doing what we can to be conscious of the tools and resources that we are using. It was important to us that the exhibition be something for everyone and that barriers such as cost were not a driving factor for participation.
- Community: Lastly, as an exhibition of Winnie Herbstein’s work in the Traveling Gallery, we drew inspiration from the focus on community. We want to exhibit a sense of community and the power of coming together.
Using these themes we have created a curatorial rational and are now discussing how these themes can be the foundation of a successful exhibition.
