Jelly’s Alison Carmichael recently lent her talents to a vitally important project by The Change Collective. Her artwork, used across two final images, displays innocuous looking ‘welcome packs’ for new recruits into the advertising industry, which hide a true, dark message. Inspired by countless personal stories of harassment and abuse, The Change Collective wants to challenge behaviours in the industry and provide resources to show where people can access support.
The Change Collective is an anonymous group of senior creatives in the industry who became frustrated at the lack of support for harassment victims and the culture within the industry that allows perpetrators to remain in positions of power. Instead of the usual welcome pack gifts that should normally feature in the photographs, are items such as a rape alarm ‘for working late, client dinners & Cannes’ a DNA evidence kit & anti-depressants for women and for men a megaphone, a tape measure ‘to avoid invading personal space’ & a copy of the 2003 Sexual Offences Act. These items serve as a stark reminder of the problems within the industry that are very much still relevant today.
A senior creative and member of The Change Collective, said: “The sexual harassment and misogyny people face daily within the industry is frustratingly and depressingly all too common. The work comes from a place of sad truth and bitter experience and we collectively as experts in our field who love what we do, wanted to find a way to try and protect our community.”