This piece is based around some text from Christian theologist Tertullian's 'Apparel of Women'. I considered whether his rather sexist, dated and much generalised biblical opinion of women would have any relevance in the modern day. I began to collect images of women that I believe embodied the sense of sexual prowess that Tertullian (and many other men) feared. I felt the silhouetted, censored depiction of these modern sexually explicit images contradicted the old-fashioned idea of feminine ‘guilt’ and apparel mentioned by Tertullian. I considered adding shadows to the piece for their mythological and aesthetical presence, and discovered that a shadow is sometimes thought as a representation of God’s presence around an object; like a halo'. This linked well with the Tertullian idea of Eve’s original sin forever trailing women – like a shadow. I feel the illumination of the dark feminine silhouettes and the ‘white-cube’ aesthetics of the gallery space denote the often objectifying attitude towards women. I think the work reflects my own undecided opinions surrounding religious accounts and feminism. The piece is very much a work in progress; a personal exploration of themes from my childhood in relation to my situation now as a woman.

‘And do you not know that you are (each) an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives on; the guilt must of necessity live on too.’ Tertullian, The Apparel of Women, Book I, Chapter 1, 197 AD