In 'Manual Labour', artist Hannah Perry explores the relationship between labour, physical endurance, class and gender. The subjects matter is largely personal, relating to her family members’ occupation as metal workers and her own experiences of pregnancy.
Through a combination of imagery from her own personal archive, sound, speech and text, Perry challenges the idealisation of reproduction. Rather than presenting the idyllic image often associated with (expectant) motherhood, the video evokes a sense of violence and danger.
Perry also questions Sigmund Freud’s Madonna–whore complex, which divides women into two opposing categories: sexually attractive and therefore morally corrupt, or saintly and admireable. Visual interventions, such as the VHS/VCR effect, expose the dominant male gaze on the female body.
The video is on view in the entrance area of the Nederlands Fotomuseum.
Video: 19 min
Location: Nederlands Fotomuseum