WHALE Arts’ textile group Stitch ‘n’ Time is taking part in PROCESSIONS on 10 June, a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a mass artwork to form a living portrait of women in the 21st century.
In 1918, the Representation of the People Act gave the first British women the right to vote and stand for public office, a landmark for women’s equality and British democracy. 100 years on, 14-18 NOW and Artichoke, the UK’s largest producer of art in the public realm, invite thousands of people who identify as female or non-binary from across the UK to walk together in public processions.
Stitch ‘n’ Time is one of hundreds of community groups to take part in a nationwide programme of banner making. Echoing the artistic practices of the women’s suffrage campaign, their beautiful handmade banner is a visual snapshot of women’s achievements since 1918. They will join thousands of people wearing green, white or violet, the colours of the suffrage movement; the PROCESSIONS will appear as a flowing river of colour through the streets of Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London.
This will be the second time the group has been involved in a march for women. On 10 October 2009 the Stitch ‘n’ Time group participated in the Gude Cause march to commemorate the work of Scotswomen involved in the suffrage movement. The event marked 100 years since the women’s suffrage procession in Edinburgh in 1909.
Meghan Bidwell, Arts Engagement Manager (Adults), WHALE Arts says:
“WHALE Arts is proud to participate in PROCESSIONS, marking the centenary of women’s suffrage. Our textile group’s banner draws on the rich heritage of female protest and activism, illustrating how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go.”
