Being and doing gender: Using drawing as a method to relate to the self, environment and others

Abstract

The research explores drawing as a method to understand the ways through which we absorb power structures that define our mannerisms in public spaces. Drawing in different public spaces of the cities of Lahore and Helsinki, my interest is in observing and documenting the interactions I have with passers-by. I seek to uncover the ways in which drawing can make visible the relations of power between sexes.

The habit of drawing began as a way to take up space as a female gender in the predominantly male oriented public spaces of Lahore. I use drawing as a tool to capture fleeting moments when we pass each other by and power balance shifts from one to the other. The process slows down these moments and highlights the intricate web of power and vulnerability.

Our bodies are shaped by our interactions with others and our environment. Drawing creates a dialogue between the self, environment and others in public spaces. The multisensory experience of being in public spaces is investigated through the process of drawing where my physical appearance creates interactions with people from different walks of life. And if experiences within these spaces can come to shape our bodies, then the act of drawing is that bodily experience that can lead to different ways of relating to the self, environment and others.