from ali
Hello! I am so glad you're here and that this project found you. I started the /200 project in the wake of my own healing from multiple assaults starting at the age of 12. I chose to cast myself to heal the way I see my body, get a weight off my chest, and start publicly speaking out through my art. I believe in extinguishing the shame heaped on survivors not only in response to the assault itself, but in how long and ugly healing may be. I never wish to romanticize the pain we all carry- instead I hope for us the /200 project to be a community of survivors grieving and growing hand in hand.
Your involvement has continually shown me that I am not alone. Welcome.
/200 Artist Statement
In order to honor the women’s lives who were stolen by Epstein, R Kelly, Harvey Weinstien, and others who may never be exposed, I chose to do something large scale to communicate the imbalance of justice for survivors of sexual assault. In March of 2020 the docu-series 'Filthy Rich' aired on Netflix. It tells the stories of seven survivors who came forward against the abuse of Jeffrey Epstein. I had just completed two years of EMDR trauma therapy when this documentary came out.
The significance of the number 200 comes from the $200 which Epstein paid victims for their silence or compliance. This number was an injustice in itself. It was the price of irreversible damage and a lifetime of recovery.
Since the project’s origin I have cast over 1,150 survivors and heard of their own experience with sexual assault.
Each casting starts with the question, ``what is your relationship with your body?” and ends with the affirmation, “you are one out of [whatever number I am on at the moment] who have come into this space who believe you receive you and respect you. As I take off your cast, leave whatever you need here.” By removing the cast at the end of our time together we both get something off our chests. Neither of us are alone.