In this project, I examine the intersection of friendship and administration in Philia, a tight-knit, small and new international sorority in Maastricht. I look at the complexities that arise when “forever friendships” are built upon a contract.
Through my eyes, you’ll meet the women of Philia as they go through a Board Switch with big plans for the future of their sorority. In parallel, this film visually explores Philia’s experience of girlhood as the members come of age within the sorority. Girlhood, in this case, is how these women construct their identity through friendship, often engaging in what can be seen as “superficial” and “girly” activities.
While the way in which these young women engage with one another may appear superficial, the connection that is built through these acts is nothing short of deep and emotional. Philia claims to be a simple “organised friend group”, but is it really that simple? And what happens when this friend group is threatened by the fear that the safe and loving space they have created will disappear?
Bio
I am a Visual Anthropologist with a background in Cultural History and Societal Studies. Through my work, I want to explore and challenge social norms, more specifically, gender norms: seeing how ingrained they are and how much they hide. I am drawn to the concepts of Girlhood and Womanhood. I find beauty in how women connect, how they find a space to grow within a world where the odds can be against them. There is much that I yearn to address in the field of Gender Studies as well as how to share my research visually with the support of animation and other creative methods.
