An exhibition of audio, 'My body temperature is feeling good (Soundscape ULTRA MIX 1/2/3)' and a silk sarong, ‘Still Same Sexy’ exhibited in three colour ways, 'Morning, Light’; ‘Afternoon, Heat’ and ‘Night, Club'.
In this exhibition Thompson exhibited a series of hand made silk sarongs titled ‘Still Same Sexy’, and an audio recounting a day of an older women alone and happy on a beach. The sarongs are hand painted with naked older women flaunting sags and cellulite and holiday signifiers such as cocktails, lobsters etc.
The audio in the background gave a sense of lazy pleasure in the morning, thru a hyped up disco-queen in the evening. The sarongs were pinned to the wall and moved softly in the air from fans emulating the movement of bodies and of a beach breeze.
This exhibition built on research looking at older or menopausal women and ideas of confidence, tactility and presence and envisages a marketing industry that doesn’t ignore this group. It envisaged a younger female muse and the domination of youth culture as a selling point in anything from fashion, skincare, fragrance, to their image in music, advertising and even art.
There is new interest in feminism, but older women are not central to campaigns such as #metoo and whilst younger women engage with the debate, older women are more often a wise commentator than subject.
There are many female artists who are highlighting issues for women in different ways. However the position of older women in art by women is never specifically presumed, but with the reengagement with feminism and with an ageing population this area seems topical. ‘Merchandise & Accessories’ relocates older woman into the centre of culture and imagines products and experiences for her.