In the dark
The UV sensitive wool is dormant in the dark and the message contained in the baby blanket remains hidden.
Scroll over image to see the effect of sunlight on the blanket
In the Sunshine
The UV sensitive wool is activated by sunlight, revealing the words ‘dyke’, ‘slut’ and ‘whore’.
Blanket of Shame baby blanket was knitted using silk, UV sensitive yarn and menstrual blood soaked yarn. The crocheted words in baby-blue “give us a smile, sweetheart” are visible at all times but the baby-pink words “dyke”, “whore” and “slut” are only illuminated when the blanket is exposed to sunlight.
We begin binding children with gendered constraints before they’re born. “Is it a boy or a girl?” we ask of the in utero feotus. Gendered questions and assumptions, often considered well-intentioned, can become smothering and restrictive and reveal destructive, stiffling undertones when exposed to scrutiny – when held in the light of the sun.
Lowdown
Project
UV sensitive baby blanket
Materials
- silk
- UV sensitive yarn (glows baby-pink in the sunshine)
- baby-blue yarn
- menstrual blood soaked yarn
Location + Time
- Meridian – The Midsumma Visual Arts Exhibition
45 Downstairs Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, Jan 16-19 2016
- MOTHER Art Prize
Mimosa House, London, May 2019
Blanket of Shame in Meridan Gallery
UV sensitive yarn being activated by artist with black light torch