Treat Me Like Your Sister

Creation of an installation/performance where one kinetically experiences a space. Document with video.

March 2023

Performance Piece, Video

My performance piece is that of the tracing of a map, addressing how women emotionally and kinetically experience a certain space (suburban areas of Paris). The project discusses the duality of the suburban young woman: the ‘holy’ virgin respected woman; the persecuted woman subject to injustice, violence and sex work. In this project I focus on impersonating both of these profiles in two trajectories that do not meet but that explore the same space, and use the testimonies collected in Marie S'Infiltre Youtube docu-series "Les Quartiers", and more specifically the fourth episode "Les Femmes" (https://youtu.be/tR7Wi5uhawI ).

The identity status of the young girl is an omnipresent subject in the discourse of young people of both sexes, with a focus on the pair of opposites, virgin/non-virgin. These recurrent evocations spare the figure of the young male in comparison.
Gender-based violence is a serious issue in many suburbs in France, particularly those with high immigrant populations. Women living in these areas often face a range of abuses and forms of violence, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, and forced marriage.

One of the key factors driving gender-based violence in French suburbs is the cultural and social norms that place women in subordinate positions and restrict their freedoms. In many cases, these norms are reinforced by patriarchal attitudes and traditions that are deeply ingrained in the communities.

In neighborhoods considered difficult, femininity comes under a different approach and exposing its seductive power is increasingly synonymous to putting oneself in danger. The invisible space that delimits neighborhoods is in the process of becoming accessible to young women on the condition of veiling the body or regrouping under the leadership of what could be called the “new amazons”. This is how gangs of girls who spread to the fringes of the city adopt the same dress codes and the same behaviors of defiance or even violence as gangs of boys in order to gain respect. As if to “survive”, it was imperative to sacrifice femininity on the altar of triumphant virility.

Ultimately, addressing gender-based violence in French suburbs will require a multifaceted approach that addresses the root causes of the issue, including cultural and social norms, as well as the provision of adequate support and resources for victims of abuse.

One notion that I am interested in is the immunity that a girl gets when she is protected by the fact that she has an older brother. She learns to assimilate to her environment and blend in to move with the least bother possible. Ultimately, she will gain the respect of her male peers who will know not to approach her with bad intentions.

AXELLE KURBAN

AXELLE KURBAN

Treat Me Like Your Sister