Silent Cycles

In "Silent Cycles" explores the hidden struggles women face in sport, particularly the stigma surrounding the menstrual cycle. While often unspoken, the cycle affects performance, recovery, and injury risk — yet in athletic environments, it is frequently ignored or silenced.

At the centre of the exhibition "Glory & Grit" is a tampon: a small, ordinary object, but one heavy with taboo. Placed against cyanotypes — photographic prints in deep blue — it becomes both softened and sharpened, a reminder of how something natural is often concealed. The choice of blue echoes the packaging that hides tampons from view, and the bruises scattered across the canvas and wall extend the metaphor of impact, both physical and emotional.

This work draws on my own experiences as an international lacrosse goalkeeper, where the isolation of the position mirrored the isolation of competing while managing the menstrual cycle in silence. Many women athletes carry this burden quietly, believing they cannot speak when their bodies affect their performance. Through this piece, I share my own story alongside those of women athletes who changed the history of sport, weaving together fragments of resilience, endurance, and progress.

"Courage"
Red telephone, interactive installation
A red telephone invites anyone to pick up the receiver and speak. What might usually remain unsaid can be voiced here — confession, grief, anger, joy. In this small act, a private release takes shape within public space.
"Courage" reflects on the tension between silence and expression. The bright red phone calls attention to what is urgent, visible, and often hidden, offering a moment of dialogue with an object that listens without judgment.
Looking ahead, the work will evolve into an archive of voices — messages and stories layered together — creating a collective record of vulnerability, resilience, and the power of speaking out.

"In The Making"
"In The Making" explores feelings of isolation through sport, injury, and the menstrual cycle, tracing how these experiences shape both body and mind. At its centre is the goalkeeper — armoured yet solitary — a figure that becomes a metaphor for resilience and the quiet challenges carried in silence.
The painting is left deliberately unfinished. Bare areas of canvas reflect interruption and recovery, suggesting both absence and possibility. These gaps echo the ongoing process of growth, where setbacks and progress exist side by side.
Drawing on the artist’s experience as an international athlete, the work speaks to the pressures of performance, the weight of judgment, and the perseverance found in imperfection. "In The Making" is a meditation on vulnerability as strength, and on the unfinished as a powerful site of becoming.

The military gym is a deliberate setting: a space tied to discipline, resilience, and collective strength, yet also one where women remain underrepresented. By placing this work here, "Silent Cycles" challenges stigma in a space where conversations about the body are often one-sided, asking viewers to reconsider what strength truly means, and to recognise that unseen battles deserve visibility.