DO NO EVIL

"DO NO EVIL" HMUA: Derek Paul Artistry Models: Isabelle Buron & Derek Lauscher Photography and Post-Processing: Valerie Provost Photographie This photographic essay is a collaboration by three creatives who feel strongly about producing visual art that starts a conversation about issues relevant in todays society. “We believe that conversing about the issues can be a catalyst to bring about deep-rooted change.” This essay seeks to illustrate the treatment of women by a patriarchal society. Each picture depicts that with increasing domination over a women, physically or psychologically, the more womankind suffers and the gender equality gap becomes a wider divide. When a woman loses her basic dignity, she loses herself. " I feel very blessed to live in the free and civilized country that is Canada. I feel privileged to exist in a time when I can participate in society as an equal. I grew up believing that I could do anything and be everything that I dared to dream. I didn't know it at the time but that was being denied to many girls growing up in various parts of the world and still is, even today. Despite great strides made by the international women’s rights movement over the years, women and girls around the world are still married as children or trafficked into forced labour and sex slavery. They are refused access to education and political participation, and some are trapped in conflicts where rape is perpetrated as a weapon of war. Around the world, women are prevented from making deeply personal choices in their private lives, about their future, their bodies and live without freedom of expression.” -@ValProvost "I'm so proud to have been one of the creative minds behind this photo set. Our goal was to give a face to the horrendous treatment of women in today's patriarchal society. Every day women are told they aren't good enough. They aren't allowed to sit at the "big boys" table. That they don't deserve equal pay. It's disgusting. While viewing these photos, I hope you feel a very strong emotional response. Equality isn't something that should be earned. It's a basic human right down to it's very core.” -@Derek Lauscher “So I thought it would be interesting to create a project with so much power by using photographs. They have this "magical thing" that captures the right moment and gives us emotions and strange feelings. In this project, we show domination against women by a patriarchal society that remove their freedom and sentenced them to life in darkness." -@Isabelle Buron