Lorraine Cleary’s installation, The Dimensions of [OUR] Yellow, is a powerful critique of patriarchal society, inspired by the classic novel The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.  A large dressing screen installation constructed from re-purposed fabric symbolises the dismantling of societal barriers and the ongoing fight for gender equality. In contrast to the novel; [OUR] “wallpaper” is self-standing, it is situated out from the wall, and interrupts the space of the gallery. Traditionally the function of a dressing screen is to preserve modesty but instead of changing clothes behind it; the structure itself is constructed of pre-worn female clothes. The now dormant function of concealment is upended in the work and instead the dressing screen installation acts as a metaphor for the rolling breakdown of those barriers of shame engrained in Irish society.

 

Supported by The Arts Council Ireland & Tipperary Arts Council.