Span Arts

This banner was inspired by the format and powerful graphic style of the original Suffragette banners.

Listening to a reading of Emmeline Pankhurst’s 1913 ‘Freedom or Death’ speech resonated deeply with the women and, as the artist Nia Lewis said, “the atmosphere in the room changed”. Consequently, those words became central to the workshop conversation and the final design. The group connects the Suffragette fight for the vote with their ongoing struggles to assert their own freedom and seek justice.

For this group of survivors of domestic abuse, the motif of hands represents the future and moving on. One participant described this as “the support we give each other, reaching out in friendship”.

“The project united our group and stimulated everyone's imagination.”
Workshop participant.

“It was a wonderful experience go work with such a group of women, they really committed to the project, both the making and the procession itself both of which were very challenging for them. The women were really moved by Emmeline Pankhurst's 'Freedom or Death' speech which they related to. This phrase and the scales of justice were key to our conversations., alongside lots of laughs”.
Nia Lewis, Artist.