Aims of this project: To explore emotional stoicism and violence in men and boys, and the causes. To get more people talking about silence, violence and masculinity. These important issues need to be discussed, unpacked and analysed.

Joel Ryan McDermott is an artist who works with film and auto-ethnographic writing to explore norms and expectations of male behaviour. Drawing upon personal experience and from dialogues with others, McDermott’s films consider manifestations and impacts of male violence. Serious themes – spanning domestic violence, PTSD and the importance of male role models – are addressed sensitively but also, at times, with humour.

In articulating his own experiences McDermott intends both to explore causes of violence and emotional stoicism, and to get people talking. Talking about violence and silence is seen as a first step toward challenging cultural myths about masculinity and ameliorating community division stemming from negative ‘masculine’ behaviours.

McDermott’s work is available for gallery exhibition and for use in community or participatory sessions. He is interested in using his films to facilitate dialogue and collaboration with groups of other men and boys. If you or your group would like to get involved, or If you would like to comment and contribute to the discussion, please feel free to send an email using the links at the bottom of each web page.

Navigating this website:

Gallery - contains a series of outcome films by Joel Ryan McDermott, developed via a process of auto-ethnographic writing.

Workshops - contains additional developmental texts and documentary films made by McDermott with various project collaborators. These pieces give insight into the artists’ process and provide examples of how he collaborates with others.