For centuries, women have been portrayed by men, for men. Framing them as passive, sexualised objects of male desire. Their own feelings and thoughts diminished by the patriarchy. This is known as the Male Gaze. And it’s everywhere, even today. Sadly, this female objectification affects how especially young women see themselves, and can lead to low self-esteem, eating disorders and self-harm. So we decided to alter the perspective on our cultural heritage. We virtually re-modelled the iconic painting, “Young Girl Preparing Chanterelles”, letting people paint their own picture by changing the light, angle, backdrop, posture, and facial expression of a woman that for centuries had only been presented in one way. Once finished, people shared their work of art and female perspective with the world. And now, the Female Gaze is being developed into educational material, opening future generation's eyes to the importance of female perspective.

The brief was to educate audiences on the existence of the male gaze in culture and its harmful effect on women throughout history. Finally, the objective was to empower them with the possibility of creating an alternative perspective and share it with the world.

For centuries, women have been portrayed by men, for men. Framing them as passive, sexualised objects of male desire. Their own feelings and thoughts diminished by the patriarchy. This is known as the Male Gaze. And it’s everywhere. Even today. Sadly, this female objectification affects how especially young women see themselves, and can lead to low self-esteem, eating disorders and self-harm.

The Female Gaze is an immersive experience that empowers female perspective. We virtually re-modelled the iconic painting, “Young Girl Preparing Chanterelles”, letting people paint their own picture by changing the light, angle, backdrop, posture, and facial expression of a woman that for centuries had only been presented in one way. Physically, museum guests could immerse themselves in a VR-experience, and digitally, a webXR-experience on IOS and Android, opening The Female Gaze up to everyone.

The Male Gaze is a global, cultural issue that involves all ages of both men and women. So, the approach was to create an immersive digital experience that could ultimately reach everyone, everywhere.

The work ran from September 2 to September 18, and the physical even could be experienced at Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, Denmark. The digital experience was open to the world.

Now, the Female Gaze is being developed into educational material, opening future generation's eyes to the importance of female perspective.

The work enabled users to step into in a virtual version of “Young Girl Preparing Chanterelles”, and engage with the painting by changing the light, angle, backdrop, posture, and facial expression. Once finished, people shared their work of art and female perspective with the world. The physical even could be experienced at Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, Denmark, while the digital experience was open to the world. And now, the Female Gaze is being developed into educational material, opening future generation's eyes to the importance of female perspective.