Project Progression
Tutorials 10th of Nov 2025
Before writing the proposal and finalising the media, I would like to choose, but knowing the topic, I had an idea. It was to create a video highlighting the inequity in uniform comfort based on gender and film different genders play/do their regular sport activities in the opposite gender's uniforms. The premise was to show how uncomfortable some women's uniforms are without any practical basis. But it was pointed out to me by the tutors that the concent process with it could get complicated, and that the uniform rules have changed a lot in the past years. After that, I only explored the idea of the zine/magazine to showcase both the visual and linguistic problems in media.
Waterstones visit 13th of Nov 2025
I have visited a big Waterstone book shop in Glades, Bromley, and did some statistical research in the sports section. I took pictures of all non-fiction books related to sports and counted how many of them were about women and/or written by women. It was a shoking discovery how only 3.31% (17 out of 513 books) had a metnion of women. (see more in research&application > sports section statistical research> waterstones sport section statistics).
Crits 12th of Jan 2026
During the first crit, I brought in a website I have started to make. It was an experiment to see if I could have the project as an online magazine/blog. (Read more in project progression > project stage #2).
The main advice recived was to move the editing red pen text to the side (as the image shows), as at first it was right below each paragraph, because I couldn't figure out at the start how to move it.
The line in the middle was not something I liked, but it made it look better than the texts being too close together. Due to those complications and lack of flexibility, I have decided not to explore the website further.
Group Tutorials 19th of Jan 2026
Initially, the plan for the zine was to only have the side notes in red to point out the problematic parts in the articles that I would intentionally badly. At the tutorial with Sarah, she pointed out that I can take articles from the internet and not write them, as it would come off as inauthentic. From there, the decision was to find what is being written to this day about women athletes and how they are being misrepresented by real media.
Also, we discussed my editing the articles to show how they can be improved instead of just pointing out the issue. This has led to the whole project being more elaborate and having a bigger impact, as it was just a commentary and became an action-driven work.
Crits 2nd of Feb 2026
At this crits I have brought the website with three columns: the original article, the red pen edits, and the edited article. However, it ended up looking cramped on the page, and another format of putting the articles in different places did not seem right. Due to those complications and lack of flexibility, I have decided not to explore the website further. I discissed it with Sarah on how I would prefer to switch to a format of a physical magazine as it would be more customisable and flexible with the format. It also seemed more aithentic to write the red pen edits by hand and give it a paper feel to let the readers feel like they can participate in the discourse.
After that, I started brainstorming the layouts and formats for the print (see project in practice > project stages #3, #4).
1 on 1 supervision 16th of Feb 2026
I have discussed the reaserch done with Sarah and got some valuable sugestions on what works I should look into for visual research. She recommended the BANK 'Fax-Bak Service' work, Martha Rosler, and some Guerrilla Girls works (see all in research&application > visual inspo). All of the artists mentioned had an influence on the visual outcome of the work, as well as from the start, there was a similar theme to what I had imagined visually.
Crits 23rd of Mar 2026
I created a 3D model of how the exhibition could look like. The main aspect of this was the bench. It was important for me to show all the things a sportswoman would have to carry with her to every game. I remember when I played basketball, the locker room was a big part of each game and the preparation. But before the crit, I did not know why I needed this bench so much. After presenting, I was asked what it is for and what it symbolises. On the spot, I understood why I felt such a need to keep it. It represented all the extra time women athletes had to put in to prepare for a game due to the high beauty standards and having periods, some of the things that not many even think about while watching a game.
Also, a critique I received was that the circles on the playing field with statistics did not look justified to be there. It was added just to have a spot to add the text clearly with no particular meaning behind it, so that idea was not carried forward.
That day we were also showed the space in which the exhibition will be and other options for display. This made me rethink the format of how I would create the display.
Sport shops visit 22nd of Apr 2026
I went to different sports shops in Central Lononod for exhibition research. Some of the shops were Nike, Adidas, NBA, Oysho, and New Balance. I found some interesting intalations methods like a binocular with a video playing inside it, maps with highlighted running routs, fake grass to show a shoe's functionality, and basketball balls with NBA players' hand prints on them. (Read more about it in the research&application > visual inspo > sports shops instalation inspo).
Website research 5th of May 2026
After discovering a Pressreader website with all the popular printed press, I decided to count the representation of women in the sports media. Here, the statistics were better than in Waterstones, with 9% (8 out of 94 books) having a woman athlete on the cover. (Read more about it in research&application > sport section statistical research > Pressreader sport section).
1 on 1 supervision 6th of May 2026
The week of the deadline, I asked Sarah for a 1to1 online session to discuss the articles I have chosen and clear up some questions I had left about the portfolio.
She said that the articles look good and justified, and if I do decide to change any of them, she trusts my judgment on it.
After I sent the digitally drawn outline (see project progression > project stage #3) and said that I want to an editor's letter and a research conclusion to the zine, it was recommended that I clearly identify my audience in the portfolio to justify these additions and language choices throughout.
16th of May 2026
I discovered that I have not taken down some posters from one of the crits that I put up. Two of them had gender discrimination statistics on them. One was completly missing, the other one had comments on it in each statistics, irationally and emotionaly denying that there is any issues.
1: 'Caitlin Clark's salary: $530,000 (2026-2027), Highest women's NBA.' Comment: 'That's too much!'
2: 'Stephen Curry's salary $59.6 M (2025-2026) Highest men's NBA salary.' Comments: 'Bro should get paid more'
3: 'Women in NBA get paid 100x less than their male colleagues.' Comment: 'women in the NBA Bring in a 100x less money too!', 'are you stupid? yes.'
For me, it only proved the need to advocate for women's sport and to educate others on how it's oppression shows. As well as raising a concern for the exhibition, if a similar situation were to happen, I would need to adjust the exhibit to avoid it as much as possible.
