Leading up to International Women’s Day (March 8), artist and architect Hanna Benihoud is bringing one of her inspiring art installations to Tottenham’s dark streets. From March 2 – 8, you’ll find beautiful animated illuminations lighting up the night on walls, in alleyways, and bridges across Tottenham. The animations depict empowered women, with a different one running on a loop for an hour each night. Girls of the Light isn’t just about celebrating empowered women, though — the project has quite the eye-opening meaning, in every sense of the word.
During the creation of Girls of the Light, Hanna asked local women to share the areas in which they feel unsafe walking alone at night. Many of her respondents admitted to taking extra safety measures, such as turning their phone lights on, or even avoiding certain locations entirely. Those dark corners have since become Hanna’s canvas, in a bid to make them less intimidating — even if only momentarily.
The artist explains: “As women we move around the city differently to men. We ask ourselves questions like ‘should I walk the long way or the dark way home?’. In the winter months I am particularly pissed off with how the city shrinks for me and my female friends. I want to create artwork that even momentarily changes that experience. The aim of ‘Girls Of The Light’ is to use these hostile spaces as a canvas. To take up space with bright, bold, luminous non apologetic girls going about their business in a way I wish we all had the freedom to do.”
The week-long project will end with a celebration at Tottenham’s Downhills Park on International Women’s Day. Find more info here.