Philippa James: Girlhood at The North Wall

In Girlhood, Philippa James is documenting everyday moments between her fourteen year old daughter and her friends.

We watch as they climb fences, make friendship bracelets, play football, do their make-up, wait for a bus, and take selfies. But the girls don’t seem to notice James and her camera at all, even when they are staring straight at it.

Are you aware that you are, perhaps, the most discussed animal in the universe?

Virginia Woolf

As Girlhood is a work in progress show, James is often in the gallery talking to the people who see her images, asking them about their own childhoods, their children, their thoughts on the work she has produced and how it interacts with the world we live in.

Addressing themes of feminism and the sexualisation of children. It is a powerful exhibit that I’ve been talking to friends about for days now.

Girlhood is on display at The North Wall, Oxford until 28th January.

Find out more about Philippa James on her website.