Elín Dagný Kristinsdóttir

“We are not just women who want to be good”

The work revolves around recordings, photographs and historical artefacts that reflect societal attitudes towards the work of nurses and the real image of the nursing profession. A study revealed that there is a great discrepancy between the work of nurses and the ideas that are floating around in the community about their work. Those ideas seem to be largely based on ancient ideas and stories about caring women, their kindness and softness. In the work, the origins of this stereotype are highlighted and challenged against the material culture and experience that today’s nurses connect much better with.