Your different interpretations on the word ‘escape’ were truly fascinating; it seems we all have our own unique take on what that word means to us, and more importantly how we achieve it.
Kate Madden sent us this incredible piece of art (right) and described the meaning behind it. “I was thinking about how liberation is sometimes as difficult to experience as it is to achieve. Even though the central figure has removed her cloth, she still feels the need to cover her breasts – she’s not yet comfortable with her freedom although we can hope she soon will be. And the other figure sits slumped with a bitter expression, basically breaking the fourth wall, but turning her back on the unconstrained woman behind her, unwilling to follow suit.”
Kate was born in the UK but grew up mainly in apartheid South Africa. “Freedom is something that has always been on my mind not just in terms of race, but of gender – it remains a very sexist country. I never intended to be more left-wing and independent than the rest of my family; it is something that happened when I wasn’t looking. Sometimes it is very uncomfortable. It makes me think of (admittedly apocryphal) stories of convicts who reoffend in order to return to the safe predictability of jail. Although I am not always at peace with myself, I could not consciously return to the cosy walls of societal expectation. ”
– David Mitchell, Re Create.
