Lock Her Up

Lock Her Up is a series of three individual audio pieces created in response to the archival histories of incarcerated women. Prompted by research by Professor Hilary Marland and Dr. Rachel Bennett, the pieces look at the social, ethical, physical and mental issues faced by women in prison over the past 150 years.  

The project is a collaboration between the academics and three performance makers: Rachel Mars, who explores women’s experience of solitary confinement and mental health, Paula Varjack, who looks back on the history of women’s resistance against institutional control, and Sabrina Mahfouz, who addresses the pressing subject of maternity and motherhood in prison. 

Lock Her Up premiered as a sound installation at Tate Modern in June 2018, produced by Fuel and commissioned by the University of Warwick. It was funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of the ’Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland 1850-2000’ project, and Fuel’s Wellcome Trust Sustaining Excellence Award.