Lucy Orta and London College of Fashion students at a banner making workshop at HM Prison Downview. Photo by Michelle Marshall.
Sunday June 10th, women and girls in London, Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh will march together as part of a mass participation artwork. The PROCESSIONS march commemorates the 100-year mark of the Representation of People Act which gave the first British women the right to vote and run for public office.
One hundred years later, Artichoke Charity is inviting self-identifying women and non-binary people to participate by marching and wearing green, white, or violet (the colors associated with the UK suffrage movement).
One hundred women artists were commissioned to work with organizations across the UK to create banners for PROCESSIONS as part of an extensive public program of creative workshops. For more information please see the official PROCESSIONS website.
The Historic England Organization commissioned Lucy Orta to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the UK Suffrage movement and in memory of 1,000 suffragettes that were imprisoned at Holloway women’s prison during their struggle to obtain the vote.
HMP Holloway in London was one of the most well-known sites associated with the UK suffragette movement. It closed in 2016 and 300 women were moved to HMP Downview.
Lucy Orta has been working with prison inmates to design a series of stunning banners for the centenary PROCESSIONS march.
Orta's project has been covered in Artnet and The Guardian.