The piece is centred around the pressing issue of sexual assault in our contemporary society. By actively confronting the audience with the disturbing realities of sexual violence, it seeks to highlight its omnipresence in our lives. Influenced by artists and articles addressing sexual violence, the project is based on a report from the UK government detailing the prevalence and characteristics of sexual offences in England and Wales for the year ending March 2022. The project features a sound installation and a digital tally that increments every 31 seconds and represents the frequency of sexual assaults in England and Wales. A thermal printer outputs the statistics on victim-perpetrator relationships and the distribution of the violence, formatted in minutes and seconds. The continuous sound loop symbolises the ongoing nature of the problem. The installation is designed to run indefinitely, signifying the never-ending cycle of sexual violence in our society. This approach encourages viewers to confront the uncomfortable realities of sexual violence and aims at breaking the silence surrounding these issues, encouraging open conversations.

My interest in this topic originated from a variety of sources, including a report from the UK government detailing the prevalence and characteristics of sexual offences ¹. Additionally, the Gender Snapshot published by the UN and a BBC article, Rape reported every hour in London, further underscored the urgency of the conversation.

While there is a notable interest and knowledge surrounding this issue, I recognise the challenge of finding an appropriate language to discuss it. The project draws at its core from the words of Gisel Pelicot, who asserted, "La honte doit changer de camp," [translated from French as shame must change sides], emphasising the need to reclaim narratives surrounding sexual violence. Similarly, Ronce's declaration that "Sexual abuse is not a private matter; it's a societal one" serves as a conceptual foundation for this piece.

In her work, particularly the track Videogirl, Ronce employs unsettling soundscapes to process her experiences and convey the resilience needed to confront such trauma. Another musical influence is Hajj's sound pieces, in which he expresses complex feelings. Marco Fusinato's Desastres (2022) inspires the project's audiovisual approach, using multimedia elements to bridge sound and movement. Furthermore, the project draws inspiration from Yoko Ono's Cut Piece (1964) and her film Rape (1969), exploring themes of personal invasion and vulnerability. In addition, Suzanne Lacy and Leslie Labowitz's In Mourning and in Rage (1977) emphasise solidarity and the reclamation of female power. Their work guides the project's intent to evoke discomfort in viewers, reflecting the invasive nature of sexual violence but also the importance of fostering an open conversation and creating awareness.

These various influences have led me to a poignant question: What is the appropriate language for discussing sexual assault?

Regarding the project's visual and auditory elements, I created a sound installation alongside a digital tally keeper that updates every 31 seconds to make the frequency of sexual assaults visible. A printer prints the statistics, formatted in minutes and seconds, to make the frequency more tangible to the viewers. The report of the ONS reveals that many sexual assaults occur in victims' homes—often behind closed doors and shrouded in silence. This setup is intended to break the silence surrounding these issues, encouraging open conversations. The sound element will be based on the recorded data about the perpetrators. It has a heartbeat-like rhythm underscoring it, played in a continuous loop to symbolise the ongoing nature of this issue. Every 31 seconds, a sound will resonate, representing the frequency of sexual assault.