I have a commission opportunity with Nicci Wonnacott (check out international womens art facebook group)
Its run by Double Elephant Print Workshop (www.doubleelephant.org.uk) and Devon Records Office.
Nicci is a performance artist, I’m primarily a printmaker. With her I did my first art action yesterday, Sunday 23rd May, at Clovelly, a small fishing village on the North Devon coast.
Ours was a homage to the Three Suffragettes, who 101 years ago in 1909 on Whitsun (which this year fell on May 23rd), travelled from London to Clovelly, one of their many actions in their fight for ‘Votes for Women’. At Clovelly Prime Minister Asquith was entertaining friends at Clovelly Court. That Sunday morning they went to All Saints Church, dressed in the colours of the movement, green, white and purple (still the colours, see International Women’s Day). They sat in the church, waiting for their moment. Asquith’s wife saw them, and guessed them to be sufragettes, passing her husband a notes to tell him of the danger lurking. He looked as if to say; get me away safely! and at the end of the service he was whisked away out a side door of the church. The ladies, bundled out of the village, returned by foot that night (from some 10 miles away), entered the gardens at Clovelly Court and left ‘Votes for Women’ banners strewn across the flowering bushes in the gardens.
Nicci and I, and her daughter paid homage to these brave young women. Early sunday morning we filmed our action, bemused the fishmen, declined offers to go on their boat. Seriously though, it was very poignant, and moving. People were curious and one or two locals remembered the story of the three suffragettes.
We worked with filmaker Emily Keene, and we’ll edit the footage to a 4 minute film. I plan to create printed documentation too.
Our slogan was ‘What about the Women. Watch the winds of change’. What about the Women is taken from the Fawcett Society’s campaign during the General Election.
We borrowed a dedication from a ‘Votes for Women’ journal, out in May 1909. I gifted typed written dedications, and hand painted stones.
The project is ‘Politics in Print’ and the exhibition will be 4-6 September at X-centre, Exeter.
