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'All Us Women' spanned a year of engagement with women, many of whom had survived domestic abuse and other forms of violence.
The project was first inspired by the story of Jean McConville who was murdered during the period of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Using her story as a lens, we reflected on the fact that when a group of us are suffering trauma, it affects the entire populace as ripples of pain cascade forth from our overstretched nervous systems.
Women involved in the project were offered the chance to experience catharsis by having the opportunity to speak about their own journey overcoming oppression, control and aggression meted out to them by others. The space created allowed for the exploration of the things that promote our healing: sitting together in community, connecting through our stories, gaining strength from the natural world, reclaiming our inner strength, reframing our narratives, and taking back our power.
As one woman exclaimed when discussing leaving her violent partner: 'I did it, I did it, I did it!'
Exhibitions of Janey's work, alongside pieces made by participants, were on display at Flowerfield Arts Centre and De La Warr Pavilion; works included an installation of dresses representing Jean and her ten children. The sight of the delicate robes was a bittersweet reminder of how innocent children are often caught up in violence that their mothers all too often experience.
The project was first inspired by the story of Jean McConville who was murdered during the period of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Using her story as a lens, we reflected on the fact that when a group of us are suffering trauma, it affects the entire populace as ripples of pain cascade forth from our overstretched nervous systems.
Women involved in the project were offered the chance to experience catharsis by having the opportunity to speak about their own journey overcoming oppression, control and aggression meted out to them by others. The space created allowed for the exploration of the things that promote our healing: sitting together in community, connecting through our stories, gaining strength from the natural world, reclaiming our inner strength, reframing our narratives, and taking back our power.
As one woman exclaimed when discussing leaving her violent partner: 'I did it, I did it, I did it!'
Exhibitions of Janey's work, alongside pieces made by participants, were on display at Flowerfield Arts Centre and De La Warr Pavilion; works included an installation of dresses representing Jean and her ten children. The sight of the delicate robes was a bittersweet reminder of how innocent children are often caught up in violence that their mothers all too often experience.
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Textiles are with us throughout our lives; holding, containing, and
wrapping our bodies – fundamental to how we protect ourselves as we walk through this world. Clothing and other domestic textiles remind us of the vulnerability of the human; they are embedded with the narratives and very cells of the people who once wore and touched them. This project uses everyday textiles, from napkins to christening robes, to explore healing after devastation; casting our minds over the things that support us, love us, and push us forward on our journey. Because healing is the birthright which is ours to claim. It’s about love and fear, trauma and healing, losing hope and finding it. It proposes that due to our interconnectedness, when tragedy happens to one of us, it affects the entire collective. ‘I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.’ Audre Lorde The work features delicate free machine embroidery that depicts gunmen alongside imagery of the Irish sun goddess Aine. She is the ever present, loving warmth that can protect us in times of adversity; nourishing us so that we can move towards a more benevolent future. |
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