Lay Her Down Upon Her Back
Róisín White
TLP Editions, PhotoIreland Foundation
English
Softcover
36 Pages
148 x 210mm
2018
Lay Her Down Upon Her Back is a body of work that examines the legacy of the 1880s treatment known as The Rest Cure. It was generally prescribed to women who were deemed to be of nervous disposition, anaemic, or hysterical, and involved them spending up to two months on bed rest, over-feeding, isolation and electrocution. This treatment has since been discredited, but its legacy in women’s healthcare remains today.
The Rest Cure cultivated mistrust in women’s pain and discomfort, and made the female patient solely dependent on her male doctor. The method in which the Rest Cure was administered solidified power relations between doctor and patient and ensured that she would be submissive to her treatment.
About the Artist:
Roisin White is a visual artist based in Dublin, Ireland. Her work is predominantly lens based, having studied photography for four years at Dublin Institute of Technology. Her practice combines mixed media collage with her photographic work, and she has had an interest in abstract drawing from a young age. She also works in sculpture and ceramics. Roisin was a finalist for the Inspirational Arts Photographic Award in October 2015. In 2016 Roisin was part of the Young Curators Project in Rua Red, where she curated an exhibition of emerging Irish artists entitled “Not Necessarily Naughty”.In 2017 she took part in the How to Flatten a Mountain residency at Cow House Studios in Co. Wexford, Ireland. This residency culminated in an exhibition in Rathfarnham Castle as part of the Photo Ireland Festival.
roisinwhite.com
About the Publisher:
PhotoIreland Foundation is a volunteer led organisation dedicated to stimulating a critical dialogue around Photography in Ireland, and to promoting internationally the work of artists in and from Ireland. PhotoIreland is committed to the cultivation of a deeper and critical understanding of Photography. In 2010, PhotoIreland launched Ireland’s first international festival of Photography & Image Culture: PhotoIreland Festival. It celebrated Ireland’s first Book & Magazine Fair in 2011, dedicated to Photography, which was the germ of The Library Project, a unique public resource library focused on the photobook opened in 2013.
photoireland.org
