On:growing

On:growing is an ongoing project, aiming to champion the later decades of a woman’s life  and to promote intergenerational understanding and appreciation.

We live in a vastly anti-aging society. Women in particular are expected to invest in anti-aging products, complement one another on looking good ‘for their age’, or ‘still having it’, contend that ’50 is the new 40’ or that ‘it’s all downhill from here’.  On:growing aims to challenge this perception, create space to hear women’s stories of life, aging and growing, and provide a platform to share and celebrate them.

The photos show the participatory installation at 'Rift' which resulted from a three month collaboration with several women aged from 50-90 years of age . Drawing on the metaphor of the tree, an organism which develops throughout its life becoming ever more wonderous and unique, I created a series of metaphorical portraits. Each portrait represents the life and reflections of one of the women: their philosophy, perceptions of themselves and their place in the world. Portraits were displayed in two formats, an etching and the reflective plate used in its creation. A bench positioned in front of the pieces gave space for viewers and the collaborating women to meet and share the stories encoded within the artworks.