New Social Art School Women in Prison - Human Sculpture

Clothes collection in the studio, May 2009

THE HUMAN SCULPTURE
part of a New Social Art School project about WOMEN IN PRISON

For the exhibition WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN THERE? Eva Merz created a sculpture made up of women’s clothing. The clothes were donated by 80 (mainly) female friends, family and colleagues from Scotland, the UK and ten other countries. Some sent a single piece in the post, others brought in whole bags; they all responded to the same brief:

As part of a long-term project about women in prison I am making work for an exhibition in Glasgow in June 09. I plan to create a sculpture made up of women’s clothing, which will show that people on the outside are concerned, and question current politics on criminal justice. This is about us, the people on the outside, who have the freedom to advocate for change.

Although this project recognises that there are many boys and men who shouldn’t be in prison, the situation is unfortunately much more desperate for women. A few facts from Scotland: Over the past ten years the female prison population has doubled. In Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only women’s prison, the majority of inmates are low-level offenders - only a fifth have committed what would be classed as serious crime - 90% have drug and alcohol problems, 80% have mental health problems, 70% have experienced some form of abuse in their lives, and two thirds are mothers. All research points in the same direction: society urgently needs alternatives to the imprisonment of these women. Despite the evidence little changes and public opinion is often based on misleading press coverage. With this project I want to build bridges of understanding by offering visibility and providing well-researched and accessible information, so as to challenge public perception of crime and punishment... The sculpture will be supplemented by other art work, films, books, reports and a public discussion event, and the exhibition will feed into an on-going project building towards a substantial publication about women in prison, criminal justice and alternatives to imprisonment of women and girls who pose no risk to society.

The Human Sculpture under construction, +44 141 Gallery, SWG3, Glasgow, June 2009

The Human Sculpture, +44 141 Gallery, SWG3, Glasgow, 6th - 14th June 2009

Clothes donated by:

LOUISE CHAPPELL Glasgow ALEJANDRA RODRIGUEZ-REMEDI Conception ANSO SVENDSEN Copenhagen KATHRIN HOEHNE Oslo ANDREIA RIBEIRO Farnham ELLY ROTHNIE Aberdeen DEBORAH MAY Huntly PHILLIPA HILL California JENNY LODGE Huntly TANJA PAIK Copenhagen LIZ & MICHAEL HEANEY Aberdeen MONIKA VYKOUKAL Wolverhampton LINDA NAPIER Connecticut GERALDINE HEANEY Edinburgh ISABEL MCCUE Glasgow RHIANNA TURNBULL Glasgow ELSE BAK Denmark SAM AINSLEY Glasgow JOANNA BLYTHMAN Edinburgh ZOE SHEARER Glasgow HEIDI SØVSØ Copenhagen CARLY KNITTER Glasgow JESSICA DALGARNO Glasgow LAURA SPRING Glasgow TURID WANGENSTEEN Norway SAZ DEE CRAIG Vancouver MARIANNE HAWSON United States JETTE BADEN Copenhagen KIRSTY STANSFIELD Glasgow ULLA Germany TERESA BROWN Glasgow JESSICA NILSSON Sweden MARIA MORS Copenhagen ANNE LØNDAL Copenhagen RACHEL THIBBOTUMUNUWE Glasgow KATE CLAYTON Blairgowrie ANNE MARIE & WALTI MERZ Switzerland ANGELA LENNON Aberdeen ROSE PENNY DOIRON & ANDY DOBSON Vancouver VERENA KJÆRGAARD Denmark INGRID DYRVIG Denmark LENE HØGH Denmark EILIDH SHEARER Glasgow SIGNE VAD Copenhagen CARLO VISCIONE Switzerland LARRAITZ AYARZA Spain MYRTO STAMPOLOU Greece GARY & CLARE PATERSON Thurso INGER & CARSTEN MIKKELSEN Denmark HARRIET KJÆRGAARD Denmark JULIET THORP London KAREN SØVSØ Denmark AGNES SAND Denmark AASE FLENSTED Denmark ALI BELL Glasgow LAUREN TEMPANY Glasgow JOANNE LEES Aberdeen KARI STEWART Glasgow JANNE GRØTTUMBRÅTEN Norway LENE KLIT Helsinki GINNY HUTCHISON Glasgow VANESSA LAWRENCE Glasgow KAREN DETH Copenhagen EILI LINDØE Oslo ZENIA KEIS Copenhagen NICOLA DAWES Calgary MARGARET HANNAH Fife JESSE FLYNN Newcastle Upon Tyne ALHENA KATSOF Montreal / Glasgow ANGELA KRUTH Aberdeen IAN HUNTER & CELIA LARNER Ramsbottom ANNE BJERGE HANSEN Glasgow CLAUDIA ZEISKE Huntly RACHEL MAY Huntly ANNA SHEARD Glasgow

... the SHOW