Tomorrow, 10th June, women and girls across the country are being invited to take part in a mass participation artwork to celebrate 100 years of votes for women. The processions are part of this year's ongoing celebrations to mark The Representation of the People Act, 1918 which secured the vote for some women. This particular project is from heritage organisation 14-18 NOW and public art specialists Artichoke, and will encourage women to march in four coordinated parades dressed in green, white or purple. The processions will be held in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London. In the lead up to the processions, 100 female artists were commissioned to work with organisations and communities across the UK to create 100 centenary banners. My friend and fellow CQ West member, Judy Stephens made this square for the Cardiff Banner.
Another less traditional banner that appeals to me is a re-imagined version of Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. It has been created in a colaboration between the Institute for Conflict Research and Northern Ireland based artist Rita Duffy from the Ards Peninsula in County Down and will be part of the Belfast procession. Grographicaly closer to my home, Dorcas Caset has been leading workshops to create this banner. She worked with the group Somerset Art Works, Strode College in Street, Richard Huish College in Taunton and Bruton School for Girls. Two of the banners are below. Dorcas writes:“Suffrage banners gave voice to the voiceless. They were objects of great pride and significance, employing motifs and devices which cleverly imbued their slogans with a sense of grandeur and importance. They were designed to be striking from afar and exquisite up close; full of vivid colours, opulent fabrics and metallic threads. The process of making them fostered a sense of collective, collaborative progress for the women who were fighting for equal rights. It’s hard to imagine how subversive and incendiary these embroidered banners were when they first appeared in public. Beneath their beautiful, meticulous surfaces, lies a story of strength, courage, and collaboration. We wanted the finished banner to represent all our voices and ideas. Using neon, metallic and glow-in-the-dark thread we used traditional hand-embroidery techniques to echo the processes used by the suffragettes. Embroidery feels like a good metaphor for the suffrage movement; where small individual contributions achieved a huge shift in opinion. The phrase ‘Make More Noise’ comes from a speech by Emmeline Pankhurst and it sums up the sentiment of the suffrage processions; to make a spectacle, to make their voices heard. It still feels relevant today."
The census of 1911
In addition to highly visible acts of civil disobedience, such as window smashing and setting fire to postboxes, many women also carried out quieter forms of civil protest. In 1911, the Women’s Freedom League launched a campaign to encourage women to refuse to complete the 1911 census, and in April that year a meeting was held in Trafalgar Square instructing women not to participate. The protesters followed the slogan: “I don’t count so I won’t be counted”. Some spoiled their papers with slogans such as “No persons here, only women!”; they gave their occupations as ‘suffragette’, and listed their ‘disenfranchisement’ in a column headed ‘Infirmity’.
I am looking forward to the processions tomorrow - and to seeing the array of beautiful banners that will undoubtedly be on display. Come and join the celebration! Thanks for reading.
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