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Based on the incredible success and positive impact the original House of Mirrors Art Exhibit had on various communities and individuals, we are looking to develop the House of Mirrors II Art Exhibit which will be available to communities, groups, individuals, organizations, and educational institutions as a permanent and sustainable touring art exhibit on the prevention of eating and weight disturbance issues.
It will be created through a Call for Artists appeal and with secured funding from corporations and foundations.
If you are interested in being a part of our committee to develop this exhibit, are a corporation or individual interested in funding this exhibit or want to be considered to design the art exhibit, please contact our office for more information.
BACKGROUND ON ORIGINAL HOUSE OF MIRRORS
The House of Mirrors is a visual arts installation of 26 full-length mirrors onto which artists, women and girls have portrayed the impact that the media, diet, fashion, and cosmetic surgery industries has had on their lives.
The installation explores the prevalence of fat phobia in our society. Viewers are introduced to this conspiracy by exploring the various ways the multi-million dollar "diet" industries perpetuate this prejudice and how we maintain our own prejudice through fear and unfounded beliefs.
The show's themes reveal myths about fat, explore how we participate and perpetuate prejudicial beliefs, and how we can reclaim our bodies and change societal beliefs. The themes are as follows:
“You can never be too thin or too rich.”
I. The Lies We Are Fed
Through research, discussion and exploratory exercises, the participants examined what they had been told all their lives about how they should look. The women and girls looked at the media, fashion, diet and medical industries in order to examine societal belief systems and to uncover the subtle and obvious messages that shape and impact their self-concepts.
“I literally purged the lies I swallowed through my bulimia.”
II. Swallowing the Lies
Participants explored the impact that fat phobic messages have had on their lives, how these messages were internalized and how these internalized thoughts manifested in their behaviours, belief systems, eating habits, relationships and feelings about their bodies.
“Women are so much more than the images that we see reflected to us through the media.”
III. Telling Our Truths
Women and girls portrayed what is true for them about their bodies and the diversity and richness of who they are.
Each theme is accompanied by information panels, which are intended as a teaching tool to further explore the themes and perpetuation of societal fat phobia. Our hope is that the House of Mirrors will challenge the physical expectations placed on people, promote healthy and diverse images of women and girls, and prevent disordered eating.
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