For the seminar on 17th March, I had to identify how something ‘outside of the box’ may bear an interesting relationship to my research project. This could be something I engage with in my life outside of my studies or encounter in my day-to-day experience. It also could be something not necessarily related to contemporary art or photography. For the seminar, I had to be prepared to discuss how and why I think this is specifically relevant to my work.
My potential ‘outside of the box’ influence is Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy, a book written in 1979.
The narrative focuses on Connie, a woman who is contacted by a Luciente, a person who exits in 2137. The book’s complex plot follows their interaction, comparing and contrasting Connie’s dystopian, racist and misogynistic modern existence of the late 1970s with that of a feminist utopian future. Connie is able to ‘shift’ to the future with Luciente’s assistance. By doing this, Connie is able to experience life in a society where the borders are blurred between the sexes and society has become more equal. The narrative becomes an allegory of the way women are trapped within the confines of their societal expectations and how possible changes in society can release them from these traps. It also highlights that even though this possible future utopia is more ‘equal’, it isn’t 100% perfect.
I originally read this book in the late 1980s and recently rediscovered it again by chance. When reading this book, the following came to mind:
- Being on the ‘Edge of Time’
- Double exposures
- Gender/temporal fluidity
- The curtain between shadow and light
- Using different textures
- Longer exposures
- Creating the ‘future’ with ‘now’
- The different language used by ‘now’ and ‘future’ characters
- Is there a ‘future’ language of photography?
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 