Power of No Corset at “CANCELLED: Adjust the Focus”
This November, my work Power of No will be presented as part of “CANCELLED: Adjust the Focus,” a new exhibition by Brighton Women Artists (BWA). The show brings together women artists from Brighton and beyond to respond to the word cancelled — not as disappearance, but as a demand to be seen differently. The project explores resilience, refusal, and redefinition, asking how visibility and focus can shift when women speak through their work.
For me, this invitation feels closely aligned with the ideas behind Power of No. The piece began from a simple but difficult statement: saying “No.” Even now, refusal often carries the weight of disobedience, yet boundaries are essential for creative and personal integrity. I turned to the myth of Medusa not as a tale of monstrosity, but of silencing — a story of how control and fear can transform a woman into a symbol of power.
The corset form offered a historical parallel. Based on seventeenth-century front-lacing stays, it represents both restriction and structure. I used this form to explore how restraint can become a language of defiance. Hand-embroidered directly onto the corset using tambour and raised techniques, a screaming face in greyscale sits at its centre. Hair strands twist into ropes, entangling the word No repeatedly. Every element is built from thread and felt — tense, compact, and impossible to ignore.
While the exhibition theme focuses on reframing “cancelled,” my work connects by transforming suppression into presence. Power of No doesn’t seek reconciliation; it asserts the value of refusal as clarity — a deliberate act of protection and definition.
“CANCELLED: Adjust the Focus” runs 15–30 November 2025
Science Park Square, University of Sussex (BN1 9SB)
