Alternate Endings, 2016/2017
There are no immutable physical laws that determine what a woman should wear, what a man’s share of the housework should be. Nor are these things determined arbitrarily; social mores are shaped in large part by the repetition of stories. Some we recognise as deliberate fictions, some we absorb - unexamined - as truth without even being aware of it. Stories that are told and played out often enough become our ‘normal’. They provide the cast of characters from which we may choose an acceptable role and prescribe correct plotlines for our lives.
Stories change as their narrators do. As more people are invited or force their way into the position of storyteller, stories evolve. ‘Truths’ which contradict the new narratives are scrutinised, debated and often rejected. Despite the conflict and confusion it may cause there is much to be celebrated in this process, particularly from a feminist perspective.
