© Freyja Ereshkigal Studio.
A limited series written in 2022-2023, this voice project through poetic expression, from poem to another, one act to another, questions generational feminine discourse, philosophy, and the question of girlhood through inner dialogue. Unlike other projects in the HAUS MEALANI CONSERVANCY creative home, that carry on from season to season - edition to edition, this, amongst similar projects tells the tale in one season from beginning to and end. This will end after the first volume. The story follows a young, bookish woman who questions girlhood through political philosophies, inherited stories, and the experience of watching herself be watched by men. She interrogates the relational and relative nature of identity and agency, asking how much of who we become is inherited, imposed, performed, or chosen. The largest inspiration behind this work has always been the concept of “Cinderella Syndrome.” The first piece I wrote for the project, before organizing the larger body of work, was "The Boy with the Socialist Tattoo." The piece emerged from an intersection between an idealized masculinity and my own developing understanding of social and gender constructs. During my college years, as a college-aid kid struggling to afford basic necessities, I found myself surrounded by people from financially secure, cushioned family backgrounds who were out in the streets protesting. How does privilege provide the power of protest and resistance in thought?
I watched the pain within their privilege. More painfully, I watched my own pain as I watched them experience theirs.