Women Looking is a series of custom wallpapers based on images found in radical feminist publications from the early 1970s. During my research I found multiple conversations about the revolutionary potential of new, accessible, media like the Portapak video camera, Cable and Public Access TV, which were, in some ways, precursors to today’s social media. I also found images of women with automatic weapons and handguns as symbols of revolution and solidarity with global movements. Gun use was often framed as an issue of personal safety and learning to shoot a gun was part of the many feminist skill-sharing articles in these publications.
When the patterns in Women Looking are viewed through the app on your phone or tablet, video, and sound that evoke the complex relationships marginalized communities have to gun ownership and the potential for new video technology of the 1970’s, are revealed. When viewing the wallpapers and images through your phone or tablet, it may take some time for the images to be recognized. There are multiple videos attached to each image and pattern, so try again after each video is complete.