Forrest King stands with his painting, “Battered Bride,” which was inspired by a conversation with a woman who had been abused in multiple relationships and work places.
Magician Aiden Sinclair and artist Forrest King raised awareness for domestic violence Friday night at the Laramie production of “From a Padded Room.”
King’s “Battered Bride” painting served as inspiration for the show. The painting is of a bruised woman in a wedding dress, which King was moved to paint after meeting a survivor of domestic violence.
“A woman approached me and had been abused in multiple relationships and work places. She had really been through a lot. I didn’t start the painting for another four years, but it was constantly in my mind,” King said.
After creating the painting, King said he was also motivated to give back to Safehouse services as the cost to maintain safehouses can be expensive. Electric bills alone can cost $17,000 a year, Sinclair said.
After meeting at a coffee shop, Sinclair and King decided to use their respective art forms to create a show that raised awareness and funds for domestic violence programs.
Part of the theme of the show was Colney Hatch Mental Hospital, which was incorporated into the audience participation aspect of the show.
During the show, Sinclair brought audience members on stage to assist with different sets and illusions. Those who assisted Sinclair were given objects from patients and staff from Colney Hatch to give them a feel for the past.
Colney Hatch was one of the themes because it parallels many of the abuses that women still face today, particularly because many men had their wives committed there until the early 19th century as a way to avoid divorce. At the asylum, patients often suffered abuses ranging from plunges in cold water to electroshock therapy.
“One of the things we get a lot after these shows is people saying ‘I’m glad these things don’t happen in my lifetime.’ But the fact is, Colney Hatch didn’t shut down until 1993. These asylums were shut down solely because of social advocacy,” Sinclair said.
To help with local domestic violence programs, a portion of the proceeds from the show went to the Albany County SAFE Project.
“Just by coming to this, you’ve already helped out some people who are in these situations. If we continue to act, maybe one day we can make the pain stop,” Sinclair said.
At the end of the show, Sinclair’s fiancée, Windy Kilroy, was placed in a straightjacket and struggled her way out as a way to demonstrate the struggles patients at Colney Hatch faced when they were forced into straightjackets, and to symbolize the struggles women go through in violent relationships.
In addition to Laramie, “From a Padded Room” also has toured to Atlanta and Denver and will continue to tour the East Coast to work with local Safehouses in the area.
