DEAFENING SOUND by Annie Flanagan

An empty heart is tattooed on Brittney's back.
Maverick, Dalton, Marissa and ____ Willisoton, North Dakota.
Laura's ex, Percy, got out of jail on the 18th because it was too far for New Orleans to come and pick him up for the two charges he is wanted for. He is now working in Williston, N.D. and is wanted for violation of his no contact order and the domestic violence chargers. He initially moved to Williston to escape the charges in New Orleans.
“You know what’s nice?” she asked me as we left the gas station, “Being able to get in the car and go to the store. Without asking.”
Maria Byers at the crisis shelter in Williston, North Dakota.
Bree waits at the park by the LIbrary after she left her husbands house because they were fighting. She went back to his house later that night.
Notes from Shirley Beasler (1948 - 2016)
$Makeup disguises a fractured eye, as she prepares to board a train home. After a night of heavy drinking$
Makeup disguises a fractured eye, as she prepares to board a train home. After a night of heavy drinking
Hannah and Joe sleeping before Hannah's doctor appointment . This was the 10th different doctor she saw in attempt to try to understand why she was loosing all of the hair on her body. After she left her abuser she suffered from extreme PTSD and began pulling out all of the hair on her body. None of the doctors she visited were able to help her through her PTSD. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 7 out of 10 psychologically abused women display symptoms of PTSD. (Photograph by Annie Flanagan, March 2010) --- This image is part of Deafening Sound, which is a project rooted in my trauma and in the trauma of those I love. Through short films, photography and collected artifacts, it strives to reduce the stigma surrounding gendered violence, understand trauma, address the cycle of abuse, and critique rape culture. A part of this project chronicles my best friends recovery from 5 year long abusive relationship. With this image, I woke up in that bed, immediately photographed my best friend, Hannah, and her boyfriend before we headed to her 10th different doctors appointment.
Advocate Helen Schmitt at the Crisis Center in Sidney, Montana on August 22, 2016.

An empty heart is tattooed on Brittney's back.

Maverick, Dalton, Marissa and ____ Willisoton, North Dakota.

Laura's ex, Percy, got out of jail on the 18th because it was too far for New Orleans to come and pick him up for the two charges he is wanted for. He is now working in Williston, N.D. and is wanted for violation of his no contact order and the domestic violence chargers. He initially moved to Williston to escape the charges in New Orleans.

“You know what’s nice?” she asked me as we left the gas station, “Being able to get in the car and go to the store. Without asking.”

Maria Byers at the crisis shelter in Williston, North Dakota.

Bree waits at the park by the LIbrary after she left her husbands house because they were fighting. She went back to his house later that night.

Notes from Shirley Beasler (1948 - 2016)

$Makeup disguises a fractured eye, as she prepares to board a train home. After a night of heavy drinking$

Hannah and Joe sleeping before Hannah's doctor appointment . This was the 10th different doctor she saw in attempt to try to understand why she was loosing all of the hair on her body. After she left her abuser she suffered from extreme PTSD and began pulling out all of the hair on her body. None of the doctors she visited were able to help her through her PTSD. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 7 out of 10 psychologically abused women display symptoms of PTSD. (Photograph by Annie Flanagan, March 2010) --- This image is part of Deafening Sound, which is a project rooted in my trauma and in the trauma of those I love. Through short films, photography and collected artifacts, it strives to reduce the stigma surrounding gendered violence, understand trauma, address the cycle of abuse, and critique rape culture. A part of this project chronicles my best friends recovery from 5 year long abusive relationship. With this image, I woke up in that bed, immediately photographed my best friend, Hannah, and her boyfriend before we headed to her 10th different doctors appointment.

Advocate Helen Schmitt at the Crisis Center in Sidney, Montana on August 22, 2016.

Opens September 9, 2017

Closes November 11, 2017

Flanagan's DEAFENING SOUND project aims to reduce the stigma of gendered violence, address the complicated cycle of abuse, and elevate consciousness about the prevalence of rape culture. The solo exhibition is part of the prize package awarded to Flanagan as the winner of NOPA's 2016 Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography.

"Going back and forth between black & white and color, between quiet contemplation and obvious pain, Annie Flanagan allows us to get close to these women so that we cannot turn away. " –Stella Kramer, juror

Learn more about the Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography here.

*Trigger Warning: this project contains materials that deal with rape, domestic violence, and trauma. The photographs and accompanying film (optional sound) do not document explicit acts of physical violence.