Women behind the lens: I thought, who is this woman? I need to know her'

"I first encountered Cecilia a decade ago, as she was cycling through the streets of Bengaluru in India wearing a cape. I thought, who is this woman? I need to know her. She is 78 years old, and has become a dear friend of mine. She has always defied conventions of age, gender and femininity. In fact, when I was attacked on the street and wanted to speak out about gender violence, Cecilia was the first person I turned to."

"She has always dressed in bold and unconventional ways often poking fun at my more restrained dress sense. Her style, humour and sheer presence bring a vibrancy that cannot be fabricated. I have taken about 100 photographs of Cecilia in her home; and she always wears her own clothes. Our process is intimate and playful. Whenever she feels like posing, we come together and an image is made. What began as a personal activity between friends grew into an archive that is deeply political and full of joy."

"When I started a project about women's safety in public spaces in India, Cecilia was the natural face of it. The project, which I called Cecilia'ed, grew out of my interest in questions around feminist geography and how neighbourhoods and streets often labelled as unsafe or inaccessible for women are shaped by societal norms, collective behaviour and longstanding attitudes toward gender. Bengaluru is the third most unsafe city in India for women."

A photographer first encountered Cecilia cycling through Bengaluru wearing a cape a decade ago. Cecilia is 78 and consistently defies conventions of age, gender and femininity. She dresses boldly and often pokes fun at more restrained dress senses. The photographer made about 100 portraits of Cecilia at home, with Cecilia always wearing her own clothes. The photographic process is intimate and playful; images are produced whenever Cecilia feels like posing. The body of photographs became an archive that is political and joyful. A project called Cecilia'ed connected these portraits to feminist geography and women's safety in public spaces, noting Bengaluru as the third most unsafe Indian city for women.

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