What do we want?
A procession.
When do we want it.
Sunday, June 10th.
Okay then.
I’ll bring a banner.
Registration opened on International Women’s Day (8th March), for PROCESSIONS, one of the UK’s largest ever mass participation artworks, which will take place simultaneously across the four UK capitals on Sunday 10th June 2018. PROCESSIONS is produced by Artichoke and commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, and will mark one hundred years since the first British women won the right to vote.
Women and girls – including those who identify as women and non-binary individuals – are invited to register at www.processions.co.uk to take part in a living artwork on 10th June 2018 in Cardiff. Participants will be given green, white or violet to wear, to represent the colours of the suffrage movement and standing for “Give Women Votes”, and there will be specially created banners, echoing those carried by suffrage campaigners.
In the months leading up to PROCESSIONS Cardiff, participants are invited to take part in a nationwide creative programme of banner-making workshops, or to create banners at home using a toolkit designed by contemporary banner-maker Clare Hunter which takes inspiration from a 1909 pamphlet by suffragette artist Mary Lowndes.
PROCESSIONS Cardiff forms part of this year’s Festival of Voice, the capital’s biennial international arts festival held at Wales Millenium Centre.
Register at www.processions.co.uk to join the procession in Cardiff on Sunday June 10 2018
#PROCESSIONS2018
100 Years 100 Banners
100 Years 100 Banners partners are spread across the breadth of Wales from Carmarthen to LLandudno and Cardiff. They encompass local and national charities and arts organisations, including well-known venues such as Aberystwyth Arts Centre, MOSTYN, Ruthin Craft Centre and Theatr Clwyd. The workshops aim to reach a diverse body of women stretching across all ages, backgrounds, beliefs, geographies and sexualities, with the resulting banners providing a snapshot of women’s experiences today. A number of organisations will be working with groups of women who continue to be disenfranchised in 2018, helping give a voice to women within the criminal justice system, victims of domestic abuse, homeless women, and women seeking refuge or asylum.
In Narberth, Span Arts is collaborating with Carmarthen-based artist Nia Lewis, whose work knits, fuses and embroiders textiles to reuse, recycle and extend their life.
madeinroath, a community arts festival that aims to take art out of the gallery and into the community, is working with artist Jessica Akerman. For PROCESSIONS Cardiff Akerman will be conducting banner-making workshops with a mixed group from the madeinroath community which includes members of The Roath Appreciators Society, pupils from two local secondary schools, members of a local quilting group, The Mackintosh Community Gardens and a feminist zine group.
Peak Cymru, based in the Black Mountains, is working with designer and makers Bettina Reeves and Seren Fenoulhet. They will engage disadvantaged young people aged 16 to 25 from Abergavenny to create a banner which will be used in PROCESSIONS Cardiff. Both Oriel Myrddin Gallery in Carmarthen and MOSTYN based in Llandudno, will be working with local community groups to bring together young women up to the age of 15 with older members of the local communities, to highlight the history of votes for women and to open up conversations and discussions on their varying experiences as women in the 21st century.
Further highlight projects include:
● Theatr Clwyd (Flintshire) will be working with multi-sensory artist Ticky Lowe and theatre groups Company 55, a group for older people and its counterpart Company 25 for young people alongside Portfolio a group of talented young artists to produce a banner for PROCESSIONS Cardiff.
● Women’s Arts Association (Cardiff) are creating a collaborative design created by local women in the community and women who are working with Oasis, a charity which supports women who are refugees or asylum seekers, helping them to establish themselves within the local community in Cardiff through supper clubs, language classes and cycling.
● Aberystwyth Arts Centre (Ceredigion), Mid Wales Arts Centre (Powys) and Ruthin Craft Centre (Denbighshire) will also be creating banners for the 10th of June.
A full list of the 100 organisations will be available at www.processions.co.uk