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Banner created by Mull and Iona Women to feature in new exhibition Women Making History

Posted by CHARTS

Location

Outside of Argyll & the Isles

Date

02/06/2021 12:00 - 11/07/2021 18:00

Website

d Visit website

Cost

FREE

An artwork created by Mull and Iona Women will be displayed as part of Women Making History, a new exhibition of more than 100 hand-crafted banners commissioned for PROCESSIONS, a mass-participation artwork that took place in June 2018, commissioned by 14-18 NOW and produced by Artichoke. This free, ticketed exhibition will take place from 2 June – 11 July 2021 at London Scottish House in Westminster.

Expressing women’s concerns about gender-based violence, reproductive and economic rights, social exclusion, homophobia and trans allyship, these banners are a powerful reminder of the importance of feminist activism and the ongoing struggle for gender equality. Inspired by the banners of the suffrage movement, these vibrant and elaborate artworks by women's groups across the UK, and leading figures in British art and fashion including Vivienne Westwood and Claudette Johnson, will be displayed together for the first and only time. Visitors will be able to view up close the craftsmanship and collaboration which went into each banner. 

The Mull and Iona Banner is a celebration of the inspirational women of our islands. It takes the shape of a sail held aloft by oars and incorporates net which has been handmade under the instruction of a former salmon fisher woman. At its centre a map of Mull is filled with images of local women. In the sea surrounding the map (using Mull beeswax with tjanting tools and brushes) are inscribed the names of women we admire from the past and present of our islands. These women have had a ripple effect on us and are our guide. Influenced by Mary Lowndes, who took inspiration from nature, we have incorporated the very fabric of our islands, with tweed made by the Ardalanish Weavers appliquéd onto the map of Iona and The Sound of Iona Tartan appliquéd to create a compass. We have used conductive thread to embroider lyrics, words and poetry from local women writers onto the bearings of this compass.. Our sash carries as our motto the words We Know Where We're Going * in local wool. 

*This slogan is taken from the title of the famous Powell and Pressburger film “I Know Where I'm Going” filmed on Mull in the 1940s

Tens of thousands of women took to the streets in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London in June 2018 to mark 100 years since the first UK women were allowed to vote. PROCESSIONS provided a unique moment to celebrate the agency of women and reflect on what it means to be a woman today. Three years on, the exhibition continues this legacy, providing an opportunity to reflect on the banners’ calls for equality, to examine the pace of progress and to be inspired to keep pushing for change.

The companion volume to the exhibition Women Making History, published by Artichoke and Profile Editions, is available at processions.co.uk. It features full colour images of all the banners in the exhibition with details of the groups that worked on them, as well as essays about PROCESSIONS.

The banners are available to view remotely on Google Arts & Culture, and a special exhibition guide will be available to download from 27 May on Bloomberg Connects, a free digital guide to cultural organisations around the world. To download the Bloomberg Connects app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play.

 

Visitor Information

Scottish House, 95 Horseferry Rd, Westminster, London, SW1P 2DX

020 8049 4519

FREE entry but tickets must be pre-booked at www.artichoke.uk.com/project/women-making-history

 

Exhibition opening hours: 

  • Mon & Tues: CLOSED
  • Weds: 12 – 6pm
  • Thurs, Fri, Sat: 12 – 8pm
  • Sun: 12 – 6pm


Follow the exhibition on social media using #WomenMakingHistory

Scottish House, 95 Horseferry Rd, London, SW1P 2DX,

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