Two years ago today, I was in Cardiff on a sweltering afternoon, dressed in a black wool skirt, a white cotton blouse, a purple wool jacket and a Vote for Women sash. I don't usually go about like this on hot summer days, but I felt I had to try and look the part for Processions 2018. On this day, tens of thousands of women marched through four of our cities carrying self-made banners. It was a mass artwork, and an opportunity to celebrate 100 years since (some) British women won the right to vote and the many achievements of the intervening century.
The banners were testament to the creativity and skills of the women who designed and sewed them. But they were more than just beautiful works of art. Behind each banner was a story, with each group interpreting the brief to reflect their own concerns and voices. A refugee woman incorporated fabric from her grandmother's dress into her banner, while a farmer in the Western Isles contributed wool from her own flock. Many of the banners also resonated in the here and now, and I thought I would share photos of two of them.
This beautiful banner was made by Disability Arts in Shropshire and celebrates the country's women of notes, but around the edge are hashtags highlighting issues that affect women today, such as equal access, end FGM and stop period poverty.
In Belfast, women from different communities in the city joined together through the Women In Stitches group to sew a banner designed by artist Ursula Burke. The banner features the hummingbird, which is the symbol of the group, while the flowers on either side were each hand embroidered by individual women and represent roses in various stages of bloom, reflecting the evolution of the women's movement.
So, two years later, it's a good time to look back and unfurl the banners again. I'm sure that many are on display right now and that their powerful messages are still being read and shared.
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