A two-pronged approach for affected female victims of the Unification Church’s 1982 Mass Blessing Ceremony to leave their marriages and the church.
Phase 1 provides women who have been affected by the church with the opportunity to explore options for healing, self-expression, and empowerment. These interventions provide outlets for these women to process their experiences, reclaim their identities and autonomy, and connect with others in a safe and nurturing woman-only environment.
Phase 2 takes the form of an installation that showcases the wedding gowns. Visitors can weave through the dresses and experience them up close.
Through textile arts like sewing, needlework, screen-printing or audiovisual material, women are empowered with the necessary skills to relay their narratives. As the gowns are altered by the women, they regain their agencies, their individualities, and their voices.
The entire proposal exists as a platform for these women to come together, to share their unspoken truths, shed light on their experiences, and eventually, reconcile with what they lost to the church.