Scream-Along is an immersive, participatory installation.  It will take place in an intimate karaoke bar, with velvet walls, dim lighting and thick pile carpet. On the stage a large screen will be mounted on the wall with a spotlit microphone in front. On the screen a compilation of women screaming in films will play on loop, with the screams muted, leaving just the ambient sounds. Visitors will engage with the piece by ‘screaming along’ with their favourite movie screams (1). 

Scream-Along is art as philosophy. Research shows that when people become deeply involved in a narrative, it can influence what they believe in real life (2). Scream-Along allows visitors to ‘step into’ movies and see how sexist stereotypes are produced and naturalised.

‘Cinema is the Ultimate pervert art. It doesn’t give you what you desire, it tells you how to desire.’  Slavoj Žižek (3)

Cinema, as a mechanism of the Big Other (as theorised by Lacan and Zizek), corrupts and distorts our needs into desires that conform with the ideological norms of our culture. In a patriarchal society this means that cinema broadcasts men’s supremacy and women’s dispensability.

If the camera is predatory, then the culture is predatory as well.’ Iyabo Kwayana (4)

The work showcases the ubiquity of women’s agony in film and by inviting the viewer to participate it explores how every woman is hurt by the normalisation of violence against women, and how we are all implicated in its ongoing popularity (which now informs much of pornographic material). This macabre theatre of performed female agony draws a direct line between our fascination with on-screen violence against women and the epidemic of male violence against women. 

Ostensibly fun (Karaoke) the piece engages viewers through the clash of the anticipated enjoyment of the activity and the disturbing nature of the actual work.

It is a deeply problematic, brutal, feminist/political piece designed to disturb viewers. As with much of the artist's work, it walks a fine line between exposing cinema’s role in indoctrinating patriarchal values and titillating the very men who have been taught to fetishise female pain.

While the piece has the potential to be uncomfortable for women visitors, this risk is countered by the potential for empowerment, providing an opportunity for women to scream out their rage at the relentless sexism faced daily. It is also a rebellion against a society that dismisses or trivialises women for being ‘over-emotional.’

A series of community workshops, running alongside the exhibition, will explore the intersection of gender and racial stereotypes in Western cinema & the portrayal of women in other international cinema traditions. The installation interrogates the Western gaze, so the workshops introduce international viewpoints, empowering local diasporic women to think about the project’s themes within their own culture. For the upcoming iteration in Deptford, the workshops will focus on the portrayal of women in Nollywood and Chinese cinema to ensure the work is relevant to the diasporic communities in the local area.

1 The use of selected clips from movies in art without breaking copyright law is covered in this Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts

2 Green, M.C. and Brock, T.C. (2000) ‘The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(5), pp.701-720.  

3 Fiennes, S. (Director). (2006). Pervert’s Guide to Cinema [Film]. Mischief Films and Amoeba Film.

4  Menkes, N. (Director). (2022). Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power [Film]. Menkes Films and Eos World Fund.

Fair Use Disclaimer: This video contains copyrighted content which I do not have authority to use. Use of these materials is covered by the UK copyright law on fair use of works listed in Section 30A, Schedule 2 (2A) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

No copyright infringement is intended and I do not own nor claim to own any of the original footage used in the video

Relevant Research Papers

Media-Induced Sexual Harassment: The Routes from Sexually Objectifying Media to Sexual Harassment

The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives