‘What Were You Wearing?’: Interview with lead curator Ethan Macleod

Content Warning: This exhibition involves themes of sexual violence which may be triggering to some. The interview discusses the exhibition. 

‘What Were You Wearing?’ is a question heard by victims of sexual assault and harassment universally. It suggests the fault of the individual for their clothing choices, and places blame on the victim. This exhibition hopes to affirm that an individual’s clothing is irrelevant to the cause of sexual assault. 

Inspired by similar exhibitions in America, Ethan Macleod is the lead curator of ‘What Were You Wearing?’ which features nine recreations of outfits from victims of sexual assault, alongside a brief description from each individual. We spoke to Ethan about his thoughts behind the exhibition, and what he hopes visitors will take away from it. 

NRG: Tell us a bit about your work with the exhibition.

ETHAN: I was first inspired to do this exhibition as an awareness raising initiative at my old school. I wanted to get the message out there and thought that the best way of doing so was by replicating exhibitions that had already been done in America. 

NRG: You’re dealing with very sensitive topics. What is the relationship you have with the people whose clothing is involved?

ETHAN: I do not have a relationship with the people themselves as the outfits are simply copies of ones that had already been displayed in America. Originally when I wanted to do this exhibition back at my old school I did want to display outfits worn by survivors at that very school, however the school did not allow me to do that so I had to replicate them instead. 

NRG: What motivated you to curate this exhibition?

ETHAN: I run a social media page called ‘Cycling to End Sexual Assault’ and this exhibition formed part of my awareness initiative. I wanted to spread the message through my social media and through the school so I thought that the best way to communicate with the students would be to utilise the school’s art gallery and allow individuals to explore for themselves. Rather than simply bore them with another talk I thought the best way to reach the students was through something different, something unique. 

NRG: As a white male, you are statistically less likely to be assaulted than other demographics. Do you think this position affects your perspective on sexual assault?

ETHAN: I would say yes. As a male I don’t know what it is really like to be scared to walk alone at night. I don’t need to have a friend walk home with me just so I feel safer. I don’t know what it is like to be stared at and catcalled just walking down the street. I don’t have to keep an eye on my drink because I am afraid someone might spike it. The point is even though sexual assault does and can happen to everyone, regardless of race, gender and age, as a white male I will never truly understand what it is like. All I can be is supportive and help those who need it.

NRG: What do you hope people will take away from this exhibition?

ETHAN: I hope that people will understand that it does not matter at all what an individual is wearing, they are assaulted due to the actions of their attacker, not their own. Implying that the victim is in some way responsible for their assault is the same as blaming them. I hope that people will come to understand just how horrific and widespread this problem is, hopefully sparking conversations between friends so that we can move forward to a society that actively fights against sexual violence, rather than a passive society that pretends there isn’t a problem.

The exhibition will be open from Monday 7th June to Monday 14th June. If you would like to attend, please see this link: https://fb.me/e/3BF13xtS7 or via Norman Rea Gallery bio on our social media.