Coercive control has only recently been recognised in England and Wales and was entered in to law as a form of domestic violence in 2015 under the serious crime bill and later in Scotland in 2019. Little is reported on the long term effects and post-traumatic consequences of this form of abuse. Countless Women and Men in the UK have been subjected to this form of control. While it is now within the legal framework, recognition and understanding of the ways in which it can impact on the individuals and their ability to move on is still largely undocumented. The recent understanding of these issues is still unspoken and rarely considered, my own journey made me realise the impact this could have on so many others afraid to voice their concerns, with no framework in society for support.
How Dark It Is Inside the Wolf is a body of work which documents the journey out of an abusive marriage in to freedom. It is a personal pilgrimage back to the village I came from to make sense of how I had become trapped in a toxic and suffocating marriage. The journey is literal and metaphorical, and explores the inner conflict and recognition of a reconnection with the world outside using black and white to represent the confines and colour to reconnect with the real world. The work moves from inside spaces of confinement and into open spaces which, while seemingly free, still do not fully offer a reprieve from the accepted and unchallenged problems with societal norms. The unsettling movements and connections with people and spaces document the resilience and resolve required to make such a critical decision.
Images from the series are shown below (click to view image at full size / original format).
ABOUT JUDE WALL
Jude is a Documentary photographer and recent Graduate of the University of South Wales MA in Documentary Photography. She was born and lived in the Scottish Highlands for a short period before moving around several locations abroad and in the UK. Photography has allowed Jude to connect with places and people where she always felt like an outsider, simply because she has never found her roots. The camera allows Jude to slow down and make connections, she works almost exclusively with film and more often than not using large format as it allows her the interaction with the spaces and the people that she meets, acting as a mediator and ice-breaker. Jude pushes the medium and uses it in its loosest sense in order to think about the way in which time passes and interactions are momentary. She work with ideas of confinement memory and resilience in the face of adversity.
Website: judewallphotography.com
Instagram: @judewallphotography
CREDITS
Unless otherwise stated, all words and images in this article are © Jude Wall
