'Restore Hope': a psychoanalytic look at violence against women
Women who live under the threat of domestic
violence and abuse in Sweden, one of the world's
most developed
countries, have found a platform from which they can make their voices
heard
through short films by Turkish visual artist Selda Asal.
Two new short films from Asal tackling
violence against Swedish and Middle Eastern women
living in Sweden, 'Restore Hope: See Me!' and 'Restore Hope: Who was I really?', are
currently
being screened at the Diyarbakır Art Center and at the Tütün
Deposu in İstanbul's Tophane
district.
Asal shot the films as part of the 'Home not
Home' project, introduced by Sweden as part of
the events for the 2008
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and aimed at increasing
cultural cooperation between Turkey and Sweden.
Supported
by the Swedish Culture Ministry, the digital films have been screened
in 18 different
cities in Sweden, Germany and Turkey. They make up the
fifth and sixth short films in Asal's
'Restore Hope' project, launched
in 2004.
'Restore Hope' delves into questions of the
paradoxical reality of the individual through
videos in psychoanalytic
depth,' Asal explained in an interview with Today's Zaman.
'The subject
matter of my project is the women in between; who feel stuck, who lack
the
feeling of belonging somewhere; women without any dreams about the
future,' she said.
Violence does not have a nationality and
violence toward women exists in every society.
What varies is the
reaction it draws, Asal noted. 'Violence toward Turkish or Middle
Eastern
women is something that is known and, furthermore, accepted as 'normal' by the society.
One would not seek for a reason when a husband
beats his wife -- 'Most likely there is a
good reason,' one thinks
generally. But in a country like Sweden, which is never cited among
the
countries where this problem is prevalent, being a woman who has
experienced this
violenceis a huge shame and the reaction of the
society [is huge as well]. The man who does
this would be criticized,'she said.When it comes to the psychological aspect, in Turkey
or
in countries where relations between women and men are similar to
those in Turkey, women
generally share their situations with their
friends and neighbors, Asal noted. 'The people
around these women serve
as natural psychologists for them.But in countries like Sweden,
where
people are rather reclusive, according to me, the violated women
experience big
traumas since their relations with their family and
friends are disconnected. So they keep the
issue as a secret for many
years, as they do not want to be seen as a woman who has
experienced
physical violence,' she explained, adding, 'There are Swedish women who
cannot even correctly describe to themselves the violation they
experienced, both physically
and psychologically, for 20 or 30 years.'
Asked
about the reactions her films have received in Sweden, the artist says
Swedish
people are used to thinking of physical violence against women
as something that only
exists in Middle Eastern cultures. 'When they
saw the limits of this violence, they were
shocked,' she said. The
short films are shown in a special trailer that was prepared just for
this project. The trailer is placed in very crowded public squares and
the videos play
continuously for 24 hours a day. As a result, they are
seen by a large number of people.
These are Asal's first films
on violence against women. Last year she made another
short film, titled 'Hard to Die,' depicting the stories of women living in shelters
for victims
of domestic abuse, constantly on the run to avoid being
killed. In 2005 and 2006
she worked with street children addicted to
inhaling paint thinner and glue and directed
two short films to raise
awareness of the issue: 'Competing with Genies' and 'I wouldn't
quit if
the world turned upside down.' In 2004 she
directed two shorts titled 'Love is Fake' and 'Why me?' on teenage girls between the
ages of 13
and 18 who had attempted suicide.
'Restore Hope: See Me!' and 'Restore Hope: Who was I really?' can be seen at the
Diyarbakır Art
Center and at the Tütün Deposu in İstanbul through Dec. 30 every day
except Sunday. For more information about the artist, visit www.seldaasal.com.
25 December 2008 Thursday
