The Woman in the Story

Our project explored the framing of female characters in stories and fairy tales, and how these roles can be questioned through processes of re-telling. Using a variety of mediums and methods, we aimed to question the values behind the characters and narratives in fairy tales through material experimentation and collaborative making.

The project addressed the following questions:
• How do archetypal children’s stories and fairy tales reproduce and perpetuate patriarchal values?
• How might our own authorial subjectivities in forms of re-telling subvert the values of these narratives?
• How might re-telling, or translation, via different forms/materials also be a strategy of subversion?

Using a methodology we called ‘pass the parcel’ or ‘chain of re-telling’, we each responded to a chosen fairy tale before passing our response on to the next person. This process culminated in several zines which document our responses, discussion, and prompts for the reader to consider their own response to the issues raised. 

Inspired in our methodology by various strategies of feminist making and organizing, we fostered a ‘reading group’ format of collaboration that emphasized both the commonalities and differences of experience between us as a group. Our project aimed to explore the act of creative re-telling as a strategy of critique, and the translation of stories into different materials as a means of making them connect with and be challenged by our experiences.