The Enlightened pays tribute to Woman and Nature (1978) by Susan Griffin. The book traces the millennia-old patriarchal construction that equates woman with nature, thereby positioning her below man—associated with culture—on the civilizational hierarchy. Griffin interweaves quotes from religious, philosophical, and scientific male figures—Aristotle, Luther, Rousseau, Hegel,  Freud, and others—whose ideas have perpetuated misogyny under the guise of objectivity.

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Developed during the DOGO residency in Lichtensteig, a Swiss town situated in a mountainous landscape, the project draws parallels between Griffin’s critique and the region’s environment. The sentences Griffin cites — portraying nature (i.e., woman) as something to cultivate and groom, yet also subjugate — are mirrored in the area’s hiking trails. Mechanical interventions like iron rods piercing rock formations or timber beams fastened with iron plates “tame” nature, much like a bra supports yet restrains the female body.

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The installation comprises three ceiling-hung iron structures clad in decorative lace — embroidered with butterflies, leaves, and flowers — echoing the nature motifs often prettifying bra designs. Behind the lace veils, monitors display blank white screens where sentences from Griffin’s book appear in bold black text: “By knowing the force and action of fire, water, air, the stars, the heavens, and all other bodies, men can be the masters and possessors of nature”; “For as nature has endowed lion with claw and fang [...] she has endowed women with deceit.”*

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The sentences are typed onto the screens at a rapid pace, visualizing the regurgitation of patriarchy’s teachings. Their progression is occasionally interrupted by the artist’s own remarks and questions, injecting moments of introspection and defiance. This conflicted dialogue—between dominant narratives that shape us and internal voices that wish to rebel against them—unfolds in real time, metaphorically unburdening the bra-constrained chest.​