Our House: Who Killed Eve
– A Murder Mystery Adventure
Our House: Who Killed Eve? is a powerful, 18+ murder‑mystery workshop built around a physical 3D advent calendar house – an MDF installation with 25 doors, each hiding a clue. Participants move through this miniature “crime scene” and then into a facilitated group session that exposes how rape culture and victim‑blaming are built into our stories, systems and everyday conversations. For the family‑friendly version, please see Our House: Behind Closed Doors.
What is the 3D advent calendar house? At the centre of the workshop is a hand‑built 3D advent calendar house (approx. 1100mm x 1200mm) with 25 numbered doors.
Each door opens onto:
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A short audio clip (accessed via QR code).
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Visual clues, text fragments or objects.
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A small choice about what participants notice, believe or dismiss.
You explore the “house” individually or in small groups, just like a murder mystery: piecing together headlines, police logs, gossip, text messages, courtroom language and biblical echoes of Eve. As you go, you start to see who is really on trial – Eve, or the culture around her.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the workshop, participants will:
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Understand cultural roots of rape culture
Recognise how stories like Eve’s shape modern myths (“she tempted him”, “men can’t help themselves”) and how these show up in media, institutions and everyday speech. -
Recognise victim‑blaming and institutional gaslighting
Notice how language and procedure can position victims as unreliable or responsible, while leaving perpetrators’ beliefs and actions unexamined. -
Develop critical reflection and empathy
Move from “what was she doing?” towards “what forces were acting on her?” through a carefully structured, creative experience. -
Identify practical changes and next steps
Name concrete shifts in practice (for staff) or everyday behaviour (for community members), and leave with knowledge of local and national support services.
Workshop Snapshot
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Title: Our House: Who Killed Eve?
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Duration: 90–120 minutes (flexible, depending on group size and depth)
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Format: Self‑guided immersive installation + facilitated group workshop
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Audience: Adults 18+ (staff teams, partners, tenants, community and faith groups)
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Venue:
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Private room for the MDF “Our House” installation (approx. 1100mm x 1200mm)
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Seating area for group debrief
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Separate quiet “Room of Truth” for reflection
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Developed by Nine Red Presents CIC – a Queen’s Award‑winning, Luton‑based arts and wellbeing social enterprise that uses creative practice as “art medicine” to support people affected by domestic and sexual violence.
Workshop structure
Duration: 90–120 minutes (flexible)
Format: Self‑guided interaction with the 3D advent calendar house + facilitated group workshop
Audience: Adults 18+ (staff, professionals, tenants, community and interest groups)
Venue: A private room with space for the house and seating, plus a quiet “Room of Truth” for reflection.
Contact us for details
Phase 1 –
Welcome & Framing
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Introduction to the Our House installation and why we use Eve as a lens.
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Clear content warnings (domestic and sexual abuse themes, victim‑blaming language).
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Ground rules, boundaries and choice: this is a structured learning experience, not a therapy group.
- Explain there is no single “right” path: the house is designed to invite reflection and self‑awareness.
- Invite participants to spend 25–40 minutes exploring the 3D advent calendar house, opening doors organised into three “acts”:
Phase 2 – Immersive Experience: The House
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Act 1 – The Garden / The Crime
Media headlines, crime scene tape and a retold Eve story already tinged with judgment. -
Act 2 – The House of Evidence
Bedroom traces, WhatsApp messages, outfits, drinking, witness statements, interviews and court language that quietly put Eve – not the accused – under the microscope. -
Act 3 – Mirrors & Masks
Society’s gossip, religious and tabloid voices, and alternative frames (Eve, Lilith, Sophia) that ask whether it is the system and the story, rather than Eve herself, that should be on trial.
Phase 3 –
Room of Truth
After the house, participants enter a quiet “Room of Truth” with simple prompts on the walls:
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What did you notice about how Eve was described?
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Where have you heard similar language in real life?
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Who did you find yourself believing, and why?
People can sit in silence, write anonymous reflections or listen to a short audio piece. There is no pressure to share.
Phase 4 – Facilitated debrief & learning
A trained facilitator then guides a 30–40 minute group conversation:
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What “killed” Eve in this house – a person, a culture, a story?
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Where did you see victim‑blaming or institutional gaslighting?
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How does the ancient demonisation of Eve show up in modern media, courts and everyday talk?
Professionals are invited to identify at least one change in practice; community members are invited to name at least one action (e.g. challenging myths, listening differently, signposting support).
Ready to Learn
Our House: Who Killed Eve? is a carefully crafted, trauma‑informed workshop using interactive installation, poetry and sound to expose and challenge rape culture at its roots. By tracing the myth of Eve into modern systems—police, courts, media and social judgment—the workshop invites participants to recognise their own assumptions, understand wider cultural forces, and imagine concrete changes in practice and community culture.
Learning Outcomes
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What you’ll take away
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What participants leave with
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What this workshop changes
Understand Cultural Roots of Rape Culture
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Recognise how the demonisation of Eve and narratives about “dangerous women” shape modern stories around sexual and domestic abuse.
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Identify key rape myths (“she tempted him”, “men can’t help themselves”, “look at what she was wearing”) and trace their roots in religious and cultural storytelling.
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See how these myths show up in everyday conversations, media coverage and institutional responses.
Connect with Support and Further Learning
- Leave with information on local and national services, crisis lines and feminist resources.
- For some participants, feel more able to seek support or offer it to others.
- Feel part of a wider collective effort to challenge violence and change culture.
Safeguarding and Accessibility
Our House: Who Killed Eve? is designed with a robust trauma‑informed safeguarding protocol:
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Clear content warnings and explicit permission to step out or skip parts at any time.
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No requirement to share personal experience; disclosures are handled gently and appropriately.
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A designated quiet “step‑out” space and an on‑site safeguarding lead from the host organisation.
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Follow‑up information on local/national support services.
The workshop can be adapted for accessibility needs (physical access, sensory considerations, language and neurodivergent‑friendly practice) where requested in advance.
Online Resourses
Bedfordshire Based Services
Butterflies in Shades of Grey
The Butterflies in Shades of Grey programme is a comprehensive support initiative designed to assist both direct and indirect victims of domestic and sexual violence. This programme acknowledges the complex nature of trauma and offers a multi-faceted approach to healing and empowerment.
Bedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police and our partners are working together to tackle perpetrators of violence or abuse against women and girls. Crimes which disproportionally affect females include rape and sexual offences, stalking and domestic abuse.
BDAP
Bedfordshire Police and our partners are working together to tackle perpetrators of violence or abuse against women and girls. Crimes which disproportionally affect females include rape and sexual offences, stalking and domestic abuse.
National Services
24 Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline for Women
0808 2000 247
Helping women escape domestic abuse