Branks, 2018-20.
The Branks project has been documented with a hardcover publication that includes an essay by Dr. Rie Croll, Professor of Sociology, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and author of Shaped By Silence, a collection of first person accounts of women who were incarcerated in Magdalene laundries and other Catholic institutions. This full-colour, 54-page book was beautifully designed by Tanea Hynes and funded, in part, by ArtsNL.
Clicking the button will take you to the Paypal app. Please send $58CDN/$42US to robyn@robynlove.com and include your shipping address in the notes. Your copy will be sent directly to you via the publisher. Please allow 2-4 weeks for it arrive. Shipping is included.
Branks has its roots in a device that was created in the 16th century to silence women in England and Scotland. Also known as a Scold's Bridle, it was a metal headpiece that was locked onto a woman's head and included a metal plate that went into her mouth so she could not speak, swallow, eat or drink. Often it was the woman's husband who used the device.
When I first saw this image, I had a deep visceral reaction - I could taste the metal in my mouth. I knew that I had to make something in response. I decided to create face pieces that women would wear that would do the opposite of these torture devices. My Branks amplify women's voices, make noise, draw attention to our mouths and generally take up a lot of space.
As I began to make these objects and share them with other women, I noticed a large range of reactions to them. Some women laughed, some left the room in horror and everything in between. No one was neutral. It became clear that my Branks were meant to share with women and to use as a way of beginning a conversation among us about our experiences being silenced or having a voice.
With support from ArtsNL, I made a total of 40 branks and took them around the province to groups of women. While the COVID pandemic ultimately shut the project down, the experience of speaking with groups of women and sharing the Branks continues to inspire new work.
