How the Breasts of These Bronze Statues Reveal a Harsh Truth
Around the world, there’s one common theme when it comes to bronze statues of women – each one has discoloured breasts from being touched and rubbed. Using this phenomenon to highlight violence towards women, German women’s rights charity TERRE DES FEMMES is digitally animating three prominent statues of women in Munich, Berlin and Bremen, to illustrate the alarming statistics of sexual harassment.
As passersby walk past ‘Juliet’ in Munich, ‘Mrs. Rhein’ at the Neptune Fountain in Berlin, and ‘The Youth’ at the Hoetgerhof in Bremen, they touch each figure’s breasts and in turn, change the colour of the statue. The campaign explains, “This leaves its mark - just as it does on victims of sexualised violence. However, affected women often remain silent out of fear of not being taken seriously or even being accused themselves. And far too often, society simply looks away.”
#UnsilenceTheViolence is the latest instalment from TERRE DES FEMMES, continuing its over 40 years of work supporting women's rights. As QR codes educate passersby about harrowing facts – such as how two in three women experience sexual harassment in their lives – the accompanying statues serve as a very real reminder of this reality.
To hear more about the campaign, LBB’s Nisna Mahtani speaks to Scholz & Friends Hamburg’s creative managing director, Marielle Wilsdorf, and TERRE DES FEMMES’ head of division (policy and projects), Sina Tonk.
LBB> “Two in three women experience sexual harassment in their lives” is the statistic which informs this campaign. Can you tell us about how TERRE DES FEMMES actively wanted to draw attention to this alarming issue and try to stop it from happening?
Sina> Since it was founded in 1981, TERRE DES FEMMES has been campaigning for a world free of violence for women, in which they can lead a self-determined, equal and free life. TERRE DES FEMMES has been organising awareness campaigns, workshops and lobbying on all these issues for years, and sexual harassment is just one of them. But it is an important issue that we wanted to draw attention to in order to support those affected. And also, to make society responsible for looking out and intervening when someone witnesses an assault. Men also need to get involved and take action to put an end to sexual harassment.
LBB> When did you realise that you wanted to use Germany’s bronze statues to highlight your point, and what was the starting point of this?
Marielle> It’s a worldwide phenomenon and you can clearly see bronze statues are touched by people on their gender-specific sex parts. TERRE DES FEMMES is mainly active in Germany, so that’s why we’ve focused on the German statues. The problem is that assaults are often trivialised by the perpetrators and those around them. And most of those affected remain silent. This is another thing that statues and victims have in common. So, the idea was to let the statues have their say and empower those affected by having the digitally animated statues break the silence to draw attention to the issue.
LBB> In terms of the messaging and OOH signs you put up, what was the design process for them and how does it tie into TERRE DES FEMMES brand?
Marielle> We wanted to make the statues part of the OOH, so we tried to find the best way for each statue to do this - taking into account the branding of TERRE DES FEMMES, in terms of font and the colours; black, white and red.
LBB> Clicking into the QR code, people can hear the harrowing facts. Can you talk us through bringing the animated statues to life?
Marielle> As assaults are often trivialised in society and the perpetrators get away with it, most of those affected remain silent out of fear and shame. With AI, we have turned the statues into spokespeople. On behalf of those affected, they break their silence and speak up for women who have experienced sexual harassment.
At the same time, the statues also appeal to potential witnesses and confidants to be attentive, listen and intervene. It was important for us to reach everyone - from the affected to the perpetrators and witnesses - and to raise awareness of the issue. After all, two out of three women are affected and it’s neither funny nor harmless what happens to many women each day.
LBB> The line “sexual harassment leaves its mark” is powerful, especially when coupled with the images of the manhandled statues. What was it like to be behind the scenes of creating these powerful lines?
Marielle> The core story should be clear and easy to understand in interaction with the statue. Every time we read the statement out to someone new to the campaign, it was a goosebump moment.
LBB> What was the most challenging part of bringing this campaign to life? How did you overcome it?
Marielle> At first, we thought it would be difficult to get the permits from the cities, but in fact all the cities were very helpful. The most difficult part was setting up the installations, as the statues are protected monuments, i.e. you are not allowed to touch them... So, we had to find the best solution for each individual statue. For Berlin, we even had to keep three metres from the statue, which is why we used the peephole solution there.
LBB> So far, how have audiences reacted and what are some of the ways in which the campaign has created a conversation?
Marielle> Above all, many women have responded, some of them even breaking the silence because they are among those affected.
LBB> Can you tell us more about the TERRE DES FEMMES non-profit and how it supports women and girls, campaigning for human rights?
Sina> TERRE DES FEMMES is a non-profit women's rights organisation that is mainly financed by membership fees and donations. Our vision is a world in which women have equal rights before the law and in the workplace, in educational and career opportunities and in the division of family labour. That women are self-determined in their sexuality and in all life decisions such as partnership, marriage, motherhood, career choices and participation in public life. And that they are free from role constraints and any form of violence. In addition to political demands, TERRE DES FEMMES regularly takes a stand on important social issues and publishes statements, open letters and position papers. Our work encourages people to think, educates the public and calls on politicians to stop this type of violence and take concrete action.
LBB> What’s next for the charity? How will you build upon this campaign as you go forward in your campaigning efforts?
Marielle> We hope to raise awareness of this issue so that sexual harassment of women is no longer trivialised. It may not be the last campaign needed to bring about real change but hopefully, it will be a starting point for a change in thinking. Since every perpetrator is one too many, we will have achieved our goals if we make it clear to society that it’s not a trivial matter, but a criminal offence.
