Key Terms
Location
Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), southern India. Year Blank
Noise was founded
2003. Founder: Jasmeen Patheja — an undergraduate art student at the time.
Origin story
Patheja began riding public transport in 2002 and experienced street sexual harassment firsthand. She asked peers if the
Blank
The numbness and disbelief felt immediately after being harassed.
Noise
The eruption of mixed signals that follows — confusion, anger, hurt, pain, cacophony.
Type
Community arts project, volunteer-driven. Online presence: blanknoise.org.
Format
People submit the clothes they were wearing when they were harassed or abused, along with a brief note. Items are collec
Function
Direct visual confrontation. Turns the gaze back on the harasser.
Aim
To transform "Rapist's Lane" into "Safest Lane" — reshaping the symbolic meaning of a dangerous space through respectful
Active since
2004 (predates some of the street actions described above).
Term for submitted items
"Garment testimonials."
What they represent
Violations across three spaces — home, street, and work. Not just street harassment.
Core argument
The exhibit is material evidence that attire does not invite unwanted attention. The clothes submitted are all kinds — n
Primary goal
End victim blaming in sexual assault. Specifically, the "consistent use of victim blaming" is identified as what the pro
Hemangini Gupta
Visiting assistant professor in gender, sexuality, and feminist studies at Middlebury College. PhD in women's gender and