Winner Research Award 2020 (third place)
On December 9th, 2020, Lot Bordeaux won the annual Research Award (third place) with her graduation work You Don’t Have to Be Afraid (Only Alert). In this interview, we look back at Lot’s time at WdKA and look forward to her evolving career.
What have you been up to since graduation?
Actually, I am currently recovering from a burnout that started back in 2017. It has been a long healing process. In the meantime, I did start my own business, but I’m not very active yet. At the moment, it’s still difficult to focus on things for a longer time. I feel like my source of creativity is completely drained. So, until now I have mainly been focusing on my health.
Can you tell us a bit more about your graduation work and how it came about?
My graduation project is about the representation of post-menopause women in the media. I am 38 years old, and people often compliment me for my youthful appearance. That started me thinking: what if I get wrinkles, or if I do start to look older? Society gives me the feeling that I’m losing something when I lose my youthful appearance. And for me, this feels wrong somehow.
Another reason I chose to do this research, is that I noticed that the western beauty standard excludes post-menopause women from visual culture. Growing up, I saw myself and my peers represented in media. I felt like there were many options for me in terms of shaping my identity when growing up. But now that I am almost forty, I desire the same diversity of role models, but I don't see the older female generations depicted with as much variety as the younger ones. I miss my role models in movies, theory, advertisements and other media.
Women are mostly represented by young, white, slim models. And if they are older, they must have—as they say—aged “gracefully”.
For my graduation project, I interviewed nine women over fifty in order to find out how they experience this under- and misrepresentation of ageing women. And whether getting older is really as dreadful as society claims. Based on these conversations, I made an online publication with the title: ‘you don’t have to be afraid (only alert)’. I also made a series of illustrations from selfies of the interviewees to go along with the texts. The result is a series of nine very different portraits that show the diversity of female role models over fifty.
Which urgency are you addressing in your work?
I think the theme ‘inclusivity’ is at the core of my project. Older women are not included and are under- or misrepresented. Researchers have pointed out how important it is to recognize yourself in our visual culture. If you don’t, this may have negative consequences. That is, in my opinion, quite a striking problem.
And what do you hope your work brings about?
I am aware of the fact that my project operates on a very small scale. But I do know that the women I interviewed felt seen and heard. They were very happy I addressed this issue. I would love to see this happen on a much larger scale. And I don’t think this particular work will do that. However, to me, this was a confirmation of the relevance of the issue. The online platform Lilith published some of the interviews, making them available online. I hope this helps expand people’s vision on what it means to grow older in a female body. And I hope that younger women realise that there is more than one stereotype to choose from. I think stereotypes are a necessary evil, but they are out of balance. It is up to us to counterbalance them.
How did you experience graduating in Corona times?
I think that Corona didn’t impact me as much as other students, because I already was in survival mode due to my burnout. The type work I was doing—the interviews and the portraits—could easily be done from home. Also, I took a half-year break before, so I didn't graduate together with my original class. That already distanced me from the situation. And to be honest, I didn’t graduate from the Academy before, so I have nothing to compare my experience to. It was a new experience for most of us, and this is how it turned out for me.
How has your graduation work changed your perspective on your practice?
I really enjoyed this project because I could combine illustration, research and writing. I would definitely like to do more projects as such. But again, because of my burnout, I am focussing on the more straightforward illustration projects for now.
Where do you hope to be in a year?
I hope that, in a year, I will be able to make a living with my work. I would like to find a balance between commercial illustration work and personal projects with a rather societal relevance. I hope that this social engagement can become intertwined with everything I do, even the commercial assignments.
How would you introduce yourself as a practitioner today? What would be your ideal job title, if you could choose any?
This is actually one of the questions I fear the most. But I love the challenge because this question is bugging my mind so often. I guess I am allergic to boxes. I am afraid to be put in the box of the illustrator, the animator or the social artist.
If I have to give a name to what I am doing, I've always liked ‘socially engaged image maker’. For now, that will do.
What role did WdKA play in the process of becoming the professional you are today?
A very big role. Especially the minor Cultural Diversity taught by Tiana Boston Mammah. She really opened my eyes and broadened my horizon when it comes to the theory behind social structures and systems.
What is the future of your work field, in your opinion?
I really hope that the socially engaged image maker will become more relevant. I don't see this happening overnight, but nowadays you do see that artists are getting involved in solving societal problems more often. I hope that they have a future and a place in the society. One important thing I learned during my minor is that, if you are socially engaged, you should be aware of who you are, what your status is, and what role you are playing in a group or community. I believe it is important for the socially engaged image maker to be fully engaged with the people they aim to represent, and to make sure to carry out their needs and stakes.
For more information about Lot’s work You Don’t Have to Be Afraid (Only Alert), check out her graduation catalogue page. Furthermore, Lot’s journey can be followed on Instagram and her publication can be read here.
