Somerset women ‘Make More Noise’
History, craft and local people unite to form a mass artwork that takes inspiration from the suffrage campaign and celebrates the diverse voices from 1918 to 2018.
This Sunday, women from Somerset will join others from across the UK on the streets of Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London for PROCESSIONS, a mass participation artwork to mark the Representation of the People Act, which gave the first British women the right to vote produced by Artichoke and 14-18 NOW. This day celebrates and reflects on this historic moment in a living, moving portrait of women in the 21st century.
The phrase ‘Make More Noise’ comes from a speech by Emmeline Pankhurst and it sums up the sentiment of the suffrage processions. It still feels relevant today.
Commissioned by Somerset Art Works (SAW), a National Portfolio Organisation for 2018-22, Bristol based artist Dorcas Casey has been working with young women from Strode College, Richard Huish College in Taunton and Bruton School for Girls to create banners laden with historical and contemporary meaning.
Inspiration for the Strode College, Make More Noise banner was taken from an original Weston-Super-Mare Suffragist’s banner, Thalia Campbells 80’s Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp banners, and the unique culture of the local area in Somerset – Glastonbury Festival wristbands are woven into the design.
Following participation in the procession, the Strode College banner will return to Somerset to be exhibited alongside the original Weston-Super-Mare Suffrage banner at the Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury. More information about this will be made available on the SAW blog soon.
Dorcas Casey, lead artist said: “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.”
Carol Carey, SAW Creative Director said: “As a women led organisation, Somerset Art Works is very proud to be working with women and girls in schools and colleges around the county in the lead-up to the PROCESSIONS event in London.”
Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council said: “Somerset Art Works are an NPO who deliver excellent participatory work with schools and communities and there’s no exception with this UK wide project. It’s fantastic to hear the stories of these young women coming together through creativity and I’m pleased the banners will continue to resound with the local community when they return to the county museum in the summer.”
- On Sunday 10 June follow #PROCESSIONS2018
- Delve deeper into Somerset Art Works involvement with PROCESSIONS on their blog.
- Watch this two minute film with artist Dorcas Casey on the project at Strode College.
PROCESSIONS is produced by Artichoke, the UK’s largest producer of art in the public realm, as part of 14-18 NOW, the UK’s official arts programme for the First World War centenary.
Somerset Art Works and Artichoke are National Portfolio Organisations. 14-18 NOW is supported through the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England, by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and by additional fundraising.
