Created by artist Carolyn Tripp, arising from discussion with Jenni-Leigh O’Neill– a student, survivor, and human rights advocate from Kingston, and following preliminary consultation with Jenna MacKay–a community worker, researcher, writer, and survivor from Toronto; and Jenn Snider–an artist, curator, and cultural worker/TAIS Managing Director, the resulting series speaks to the importance of ongoing efforts to challenge common myths about sexual assault and harassment.
According to Statistics Canada (2013), 1 in 3 women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. While sexual violence also impacts men/male presenting persons, studies show that women/female-presenting persons are disproportionately impacted. Given this, it is nevertheless important to remember that no two people are exactly the same, so women who experience sexual violence will likely be impacted in ways that are unique to the conditions of their individual lives.
Consensus among experts and advocates is that there is need for more public dialogue about the wide variety of ways in which sexual violence impacts people’s lives so that better support systems and public programs can address needs. As there tends to be a dilution of diversity in public media about who survivors of sexual violence can be, and how a survivor should behave, this project arises from a desire to encourage representation of a range of survivor experiences, and is grounded in the importance of challenging assumptions.
All gifs in the series are available for free for use by advocates for online campaigns, via GIPHY.com/channel/tais-art-animation
For more about Sexual Assault Prevention Month, including information on how you can help, as well as details on sexual violence and the law, visit the website for the Ontario Government: Ministry of the Status of Women, and/or read An Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment Progress Update 2016-2017.
About the artist
Carolyn Tripp is an artist, educator, and creative content producer based in Toronto. Her artistic practice includes GIFs, motion graphics, motion design and 2D animation. She has exhibited animated and video work with Art-Athina (Ed Video, Athens, Greece), The Toronto Urban Film Festival, 159 Manning Events (Toronto) and as a part of TAIS special presentations. Her GIFs have also been featured on the CBC Arts website and television program, and with Ello.co. More about Tripp’s work is available here.
TAIS programming is presented with the support of the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts
