'Feelings to mind' - Massey University Honours students' group exhibition, 20-31 October 2017

'Feelings to mind' - Anna Higgins, Bethany Mitchell, Harriet Norton, Izzy Sanders, Maisie Blackwood,

'Feelings to mind' will be open to the public from 20th October. The exhibition features the work of five Honours-year photography students from Massey University's Wellington campus: Anna Higgins, Bethany Mitchell, Harriet Norton, Izzy Sanders, Maisie Blackwood.

Set side by side, we intersect - Anna Higgins

‘Set side by side, we intersect’ is a body of work that explores intersectional narratives of gender as a means of dismantling patriarchal ideals of femininity.

As we live in an image centric world, the onslaught of photographic content is inescapable. We are forever bombarded with imagery that bares no relation to the reality of women’s lives.  Instead we are faced with an inaccurate depiction of what it is to be feminine, unattainable ideals are prescribed relentlessly through the same homogenised lens.

This series enables the cultivation of alternative narratives, capable of repositioning the gaze, dominant ideologies and stereotypes against the backdrop of contemporary New Zealand culture. Moving away from traditional ideals of gender and allowing for people to come to terms with the impacts and influences of patriarchal systems on their lives.

Anna Higgins - 'Peter in heels'

In your own skin - Izzy Sanders

“In Your Own Skin” responds to the social pressure of ‘needing to look young to be beautiful’. Typically, women are pressured to change the way they look so they can meet the standard of beauty perpetuated by popular culture. Talking to a range of women varying in ages, gave me an understanding of how they experience these pressures.I hope to create discussion around the topic, encouraging debate about whether these pressures are justified and what can be done to change them.

Izzy Sanders

Only and for certain - Maisie Blackwood

‘Only and for Certain’ is a photographic series that looks at how grief and loss can be photographically represented using flowers, light and space. These three elements together create a symbolic look at death and associated connotations, such as fear, distance, mourning and separation.

Maisie Blackwood

The Weight of Living - Bethany Mitchell

This body of work is presented as a limited edition, 40 page book, including 18 photographs.
The first run of 6 copies is available for sale, $60 per copy.

Bethany Mitchell

Lines of Sight - Harriet Norton

I grew up as a young girl yet I am forced to view representations of the world through what is inevitably a male gaze.


The history of film articulates predominantly the male gaze, because of this when viewing a film it is overwhelmingly the male viewpoint that is shown. The patriarchal system we live in leads us to see a certain way,  and the language of film has been built up around that masculine construction. exposing this hidden way of seeing through this particular lens leads us to see the construction of what the audience is seeing. Through my work I am questioning the viewer; in what lens do you look through and are you aware of this?

Harriet Norton