Information
This project combines performance art and video to reveal the dual oppression faced by women in balancing family and work. The experimental use of props and performance design enhances the expressiveness of the work while showcasing women's struggles and resilience under gender stereotypes. The project challenged the creator's psychological and physical limits, not only deepening artistic expression but also inspiring deeper reflection on issues of gender and equality.
Inspiration
Today I invited friends over for dinner at my place, and Dad and I cooked together! It’s bound to be a great gathering! Everyone has finished eating, and we’re all sitting around the table chatting, the atmosphere is great~
However, when Dad and my friends started drinking and chatting together, suddenly and abruptly, he asked me to tidy up and wash the dishes, which made me feel really uncomfortable. Why did I suddenly feel like I was being struck by my dad’s words, that I have to be a good girl a good woman like, “dutiful” in doing the chores? Why is it that while everyone else is chatting equally, I’m forced to serve them? It’s so unfair... Although I’m not unwilling to do the washing up, is it really something that’s taken for granted?
If, if I were a boy, would Dad still suddenly tell me to wash the dishes while everyone else was chatting? I hope the answer is yes... I don’t want to be pushed into serving them just because of my gender...
Research
This project’s research begins with the gendered history of domestic labour, exploring how women's roles in the household have been solidified by societal culture, economic structures, and mass media as default caretakers of domestic responsibilities.
Historically, in hunter-gatherer societies, gendered division of labour arose from practical needs, with women gathering plants and caring for infants, gradually shaping expectations of women's domestic roles.
In agrarian societies, women managed households while also engaging in demanding agricultural work. However, these contributions were not recognized as formal labour, with women’s efforts naturalized and rendered invisible.
Industrialization and modern society further reinforced the concept of the "housewife," leaving women's domestic labour unacknowledged in economic and legal frameworks for an extended period.
Even in modern society, where women compete alongside men in the workplace, the phenomenon of "dual burdens" remains widespread. Research highlights that under outdated family and cultural structures, women not only shoulder professional responsibilities but also devote significantly more energy to unpaid domestic labour, resulting in a dual deprivation of labour in both spheres.
This imbalance is particularly pronounced in China. Despite changes in socioeconomic structures, women's roles within the household have seen little substantive improvement, and the gendered nature of domestic labour remains deeply entrenched. Professor Dai Jinhua points out that Chinese women are expected to manage household affairs while also competing with men in the workplace, yet this "invisible labour" has long gone unrecognized by society.
Mass media and advertising play a significant role in reinforcing gender stereotypes. Women are frequently depicted in domestic settings in advertisements, such as those for cleaning products targeted at female consumers, further binding women to household chores.
Some advertisements even invoke subtle feelings of shame to reinforce women's sense of responsibility for maintaining household cleanliness. Research data shows that in Chinese advertisements, women are significantly more likely than men to appear in household environments and are often portrayed engaging in domestic activities.
These cultural symbols not only perpetuate the devaluation of women's labour but also uphold the notion that a woman's worth can be judged by her domestic contributions.
Under the influence of patriarchy, housework is often seen as women’s "natural" responsibility and is even given a "noble" moral value. This idea is repeatedly reinforced by media and social narratives, making it difficult to break the link between women and domestic labour.
At the same time, as women gain equal opportunities with men in society and the workplace, they are expected to handle both household duties and professional responsibilities. This dual role puts great pressure on women. Constantly switching between these two demands takes a toll on their physical and mental well-being, turning them into tools for domestic labour.
Through my work, I want to show wsn under this double burden. I aim to capture the sense of helplessness they feel when dealing with family expectations and societal pressures. By visualizing this often-invisible hardship, I hope to create something that resonates with the audience and sparks empathy and awareness.
Process
The inspiration for this project comes from my sophomore-year creation, "The More You Drag, the Dirtier It Gets" mop, which used the concept of "anti-affordance" to evade household chores.
However, this earlier work merely shifted the responsibility for housework onto others, creating a new form of power imbalance that failed to achieve gender equality. To address this shortcoming, I redesigned the project and researched various artists to explore how the struggles of domestic labour and power dynamics can be expressed through art.
Ann Hamilton’s *Still Life* uses a table piled high with white shirts to symbolize the heavy burden of domestic labour, directly portraying the sense of helplessness women experience due to household responsibilities.
Hamilton’s work inspired me to simplify expression by using specific scenarios to encapsulate abstract struggles, making the message more tangible and impactful.
Csilla Klenyànszki's *Pillars of Home* integrates the body with household objects, using delicate balances to express the pressures of domestic labour and the subtle power dynamics within it.
Klenyànszki's work inspired me to explore the concept of "integration" as a means of expression in my project.
Michal Cole's Domestic Godless and Neverland merge domestic spaces with human figures to reveal the endless struggles women face in household labour. Cole’s work combines specific household settings with abstract conflicts, providing structural and logical support for how I approach the presentation of my project.
Additionally, Marina Abramović's body art influenced my decision to incorporate performance art, pushing personal boundaries to convey power and emotion in a direct, impactful way. Helen Chadwick's In the Kitchen resonates with my project by highlighting the persistent historical entrenchment of gendered domestic labour.
Experiment
Inspired by the works of various artists and my own reflections, I developed an idea to explore the evolving role of women in the household, where they are often expected to shoulder the burden of domestic labour. To depict this, I plan to personify these roles—turning women themselves into parts of cleaning tools or furniture. Simultaneously, I will symbolize their professional lives and competition with men in the workplace using elements of business attire, such as suits.
By placing the realms of work and home within the same setting, I aim to highlight the conflicting pressures and dual responsibilities women face.
The concept includes nine different scenes, each featuring a piece of furniture or tool:
1. Cloth rack
2. Laundry basket
3. Refrigerator
4. Folding clothes
5. Broom
6. Mop
7. Cleaning glass
8. Chair
9. Table
After showing the first version of the video, my mentor, Joel, gave helpful feedback, suggesting the need for more consistency in both content and form. His key points included:
- Reconsidering the logic behind the choice of props, actions, and costumes to make sure each scene (furniture/tool) is strongly connected to the main theme.
- Improving the visual presentation (e.g., costume colours, scene elements) to avoid clutter and create a more cohesive look.
- Thinking about whether using a vintage TV as the display medium is necessary and if it adds to the message of the work.
Taking this feedback into account, I reviewed my project and realized that some scenes in the video strayed from the "personification" theme and only showed basic household tasks, lacking overall unity. To fix this, I decided to adjust the structure and style of the video.
In the final version, I focused on three key scenes featuring a chair, a table lamp, and a laundry basket to better express the concept.
1. Prop Design and Creation:
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- Chair Pants: After multiple experiments, I finalized a design that securely connected chair legs to pants using a mortise-and-tenon wood structure. Although it was challenging to conceal the wooden elements, the final outcome was visually satisfying.
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- Lamp: A vintage lampshade was selected to symbolize the tension between beauty and oppression. However, tests with lighting elements did not meet expectations, so the glowing feature was ultimately removed.
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- Laundry Basket: Hand-sewn fabric strips were used to attach the basket to the body with tension, enhancing both visual appeal and practicality.
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- The initial idea of using a men’s suit was abandoned due to concerns about reinforcing gender stereotypes. Instead, I chose professional yet more neutral attire, such as black pencil skirts and white shirts, to emphasize women’s strength and professionalism.
- - The choice of footwear was also revised, replacing red high heels with black leather shoes for a more universal and versatile representation.
For the second version of the shoot, I shifted the project from a narrative approach to a performance art recording. The video captures a 10-minute performance where I embody personified roles, such as a chair, table lamp, and laundry basket.
The scenes were set in domestic spaces like the living room and kitchen, with LED lighting used to address backlighting issues. The filming design focused on highlighting the fragility and struggle of the body, avoiding fast-paced edits. Instead, I used static shots and subtle movements to create stronger emotional tension and resonance.