In Our Image was a powerful creative project developed through the work Bristol Women’s Voice does with women aged 18–30. This space has been created for Bristol-based women in that age group to come together through creativity, reflection, and activism. The project grew out of ongoing conversations about safety, power, and belonging in public spaces — driven by the shared experience of how unsafe many young women feel when moving through the city.
The group wanted to gather stories and connect with other women, so In Our Image was born. The women involved, supported by Bristol Women’s Voice to take the lead, decided to connect with others in a creative, non-intrusive way. They held real-life conversations and offered space for each person to speak about her lived experiences of safety, fear, and opportunities for change in Bristol. These recordings were transcribed, and each woman’s account was paired with a photograph of her hands — a quiet and striking way to show presence without pressure to be visibly identified.
The result was an intimate and honest portrayal of life as a woman navigating misogyny in everyday spaces. The work was exhibited at Bristol City Hall on International Women’s Day, inviting viewers to listen, reflect, and reconsider what safety means in our shared environments. The response was overwhelmingly strong — particularly from other women of similar ages who recognised their own experiences in the words and images.
In Our Image offered visibility and community; participants spoke of feeling seen. It held space for truth-telling while also giving them control over how they were represented. The project reminded us that safety is multi-faceted: it involves feeling seen, supported, and held by community, as well as being able to move through the world with freedom and confidence.
This project reflects the wider ethos of the work Bristol Women’s Voice undertakes with young women: creativity as a tool for connection, protest, and change. In a time when online spaces often dominate, In Our Image brought voices and stories into the real world — inviting the city to listen.
We are now building on our findings and will be coming together to design further creative actions in the city to raise awareness, engage decision-makers, and ultimately push for change.
Find out more about our Young Women (18-30) Forum here.
