Project Unbreakable gives

sexual abuse victims voice

Image: Grace Brown

 

Project Unbreakable, a new photo project from New York-based artist Grace Brown, is working to raise awareness of sexual abuse. The powerful and evocative project shows abuse victims holding up a card with the words of their abusers written on them. Brown aims to bring about healing through the message contained in her art, both for the victims in the photo and for those who have seen it.

Brown has created her own photographs for the project but also welcomes submissions from sexual assault survivors on her blog. According to Brown, “I originally created it as only a photography project, but I soon realized how powerful it is for all these people around the world to come together and post their own images. It is really amazing how many people the project has reached – I had no idea that it would ever do what it has done. And I am honored to have been the one who just had a random idea one day to do it.”

This description of Project Unbreakable appears on the blog associated with the project:

This project was created in October of 2011 by Grace Brown. Grace uses photography to help heal those who were sexually abused by asking them to write a quote from their attacker on a poster and photographing them holding the poster.

Grace plans on photographing survivors for as long as she possibly can. Her goal is to spread light, awareness, and healing for those who have been affected.

From Project Unbreakable

Recently, Brown shared her own story here. This is a self-portrait she created for the project:

Image: Grace Brown

Brown has also created this video to speak about the experience of sexual abuse victims. She tells snippets of true stories of abuse survivors:

From 115grace

Many of the signs that the victims held up contain threats like the one below:

Image: Grace Brown

This message translates as “You can’t tell anyone. It’s our secret ok”:

Image: Grace Brown

Other victims highlighted the manipulative nature of their attacker:

Image: Grace Brown

Image: Grace Brown

Though Brown is used to hearing the stories of abuse survivors, even she seems to be shocked by the power of her subject’s words. In this tweet, Brown was reacting to a post on her blog for a sexual abuse survivor:

Project Unbreakable @ProjUnbreakable

It really blows my mind how many incest survivors there are out there. http://projectunbreakable.tumblr.com/post/16066036722/thank-you-to-the-reader-who-submitted-this-if-you

2 days ago  Reply  Retweet  Favorite  Profile

New Jersey-based blogger Yvonne Moss recently met with Brown to be photographed for the project. She wrote a post explaining the impact that the project had on victims of abuse:

When a person can be brave enough to write them down… then hold them up for the her to photograph. Either facing the thoughts, the words again or possibly for the first time since it happened. No longer hiding the shame. Because, truly there is no need to hide. It’s the abuser who should feel the need to hide.

From Yvonne Moss

Moss shared her story with Brown and became the inspiration that the young artist needed:

When she was five, her step-father (who she refers to as her father, as he raised her and she had his last name) began molesting her every night. It continued for five years. When she was ten, it escalated to rape. She endured nine years of continuous abuse, and the rest of her teenage years were tumultuous because of the childhood she suffered. But with combination of her strength, her faith*, and her husband of 36 years, she was able to lead an incredible fulfilling life – raising four children, taking in others who needed a home, and being what I viewed her as in the very beginning: a genuinely good person…

I hope if you are ever feeling lost, you remember Yvonne’s story and know that you can heal

From Grace Brown

Moss’s photo is the one below:

Image: Grace Brown

As Brown’s project begins to make its way around the online world, people are having various reactions to the strong images:

Cui @tsuei

Project Unbreakable: photos of sexual abuse victims w a quote their attacker said to them. This one was a kick in gut: http://bit.ly/zd7BPv

a day ago  Reply  Retweet  Favorite  Profile

James @GenericPrimate

Project Unbreakable is one of the most powerfully distressing things I've ever seen. http://projectunbreakable.tumblr.com

a day ago  Reply  Retweet  Favorite  Profile

Brown is still looking for participants in her project:

Project Unbreakable @ProjUnbreakable

Are you a DC-based survivor interested in participating in Unbreakable on March 3rd? Email Grace at grace@50extraordinarywomen.com.