Unsung heroes
LDN WMN was a temporary series of eye-catching public artworks displayed across London from 18 October 2018. They were created by women and non-binary artists, inspired by unsung women heroes from the city’s history. Curated by Tate Collective in collaboration with the Mayor of London, LDN WMN formed part of the Mayor’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, which marks 100 years since the first women won the right to vote in the UK. Here we explore the women and artwork on display in central London.
Dame Julia Myra Hess by CJ Mahony, Charing Cross Station
CJ Mahony celebrated Dame Julia Myra Hess's morale-raising wartime concerts in this multi-media artwork. For six years without fail, the British pianist organised weekday lunchtime concerts to raise London's spirits during World War II. In total, she staged 1,860 showcases to “give spiritual solace to those who are giving all to combat the evil”.
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The location
As part of her six-year-long mission to boost morale, Hess played to vast audiences, including crowds of people in Trafalgar Square – which is located not far from Mahony's Charing Cross piece.
The station was built on the site of the famous Hungerford Market, opening in 1864.
One year later, Charing Cross Hotel was built, giving the station an ornate French Renaissance style frontage.
Located in the City of Westminster, Charing Cross accommodates 42 million passengers a year.
LDN WMN artwork of Dame Myra Hess (2018) by CJ MahonyOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
CJ Mahony makes large immersive environments that seek to unsettle and small scale objects that mimic and pretend.
She is interested in intense audience experiences and digging over untidy narratives, working both in gallery settings and in site-responsive commissions.
Mahony's intervention in Charing Cross Station offered Londoners a moment of contemplation away from their usual commute.
Pianist Hannah Quinn appeared for a special live performance at the station, playing pieces by Beethoven and Mendelssohn that Hess would have chosen for her own performances.
The women of Waterloo Bridge by Joy Miessi, Southbank Centre
Joy Miessi’s painted wall piece paid tribute to the largely forgotten women who built Waterloo Bridge, which was completed in 1945 after six years of work.While it's widely known that women worked in shipbuilding, aircraft manufacture and munitions during the Second World War, their contribution to the construction industry is less recognised. By mid-1945 an estimated 45,000 women were building new factories and houses, as well as carrying out essential work in London, such as the rebuilding of Waterloo bridge.
LDN WMN artwork of the women who built Waterloo Bridge (2018) by Joy MiessiOriginal source: Mayor of London
In this piece Miessi seeks to remember the efforts of these women with a mural that rescues them from anonymity.
Each circular figure in her piece represents an arch of Waterloo Bridge and is inspired by archival photography of the female construction workers that rebuilt it.
The piece is in Miessi's recognisable style, with blocks of colour representing structure, river and sky.
Surrounding pieces of text and observational drawings reference the conditions of the time, while letters at the bottom of the piece ask Londoners to keep these forgotten stories alive.
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The location
Miessi's artwork was situated on the side of the Southbank Centre, which is directly connected to Waterloo Bridge and the legacy of the female construction workers that built it.
It’s a dynamic area at the heart of London’s cultural scene and home to world-class arts venues the Southbank Centre, National Theatre, and BFI film theatre.
The tree-lined riverside walkway, filled with restaurants and historic pubs, stages frequent fairs and events.
LDN WMN artwork of the women who built Waterloo Bridge (2018) by Joy MiessiOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Joy Miessi translates moments, conversations, feelings and intimate thoughts into mixed media works.
Through abstract shapes, figures and written musings, Miessi utilises a range of processes to compose pieces that make reference to the duality of everyday life in the UK and her Congolese heritage.
Valda James by Phoebe Collings-James, Islington
Phoebe Collings-James celebrated the work of Valda James, the artist's grandmother and the first black woman elected to Islington council in 1986, before becoming Mayor of Islington two years later. Part of the Windrush generation, Jamaican-born James came to England in 1961, where she raised her children alone – an experience that later informed her work on the Social Services committee. Collings-James' portrait represents not just her grandmother's career achievements, but also her perseverance in the face of the racism and sexism of the time and her own nerves in public speaking.
LDN WMN artwork of Valda James (2018) by Phoebe Collings-JamesOriginal source: Mayor of London
The photograph of the 91-year-old James is taken in her Islington home, alongside text from an interview.
“I remember her telling me that even when she was in that privileged and well-earned position of Mayor, she didn't believe she deserved to be in the room,” says the artist.
“It is an important reminder to me as a black woman artist to always have the confidence to know that I deserve to be heard. I want that message to be heard by many.”
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The location
Collings-James' piece celebrates the cultural impact left by James on the Borough and was located close to the estate where she lived all her life.
It was emblazoned on the exterior of The Peel, which is home to a charity dedicated to building a connected community in Clerkenwell since 1898, running activities for adults, children and young people, as well as mental health awareness projects.
LDN WMN artwork of Valda James (2018) by Phoebe Collings-JamesOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Phoebe Collings-James creates work in different media that explores the poetics and emotional detritus of violence, identity and desire.
Grown in London via Jamaica, her practice is intentionally sprawling, focussed on the process of becoming bodied.
Her work has featured as installations at the Studio Museum Harlem, Palais de Tokyo, Arcadia Missa and Wysing Arts Center.
Marion Dorn by Soheila Sokhanvari, Victoria Station
As the woman behind TfL's original seat pattern and influential designer contributing to the interior design of Claridges, the Savoy and the Queen Mary, Marion Dorn's artistic influence continues to be felt across London, today. Soheila Sokhanvari created a 6-metre long carpet in a pattern reminiscent of Marion’s TfL design and shards of stained glass. Its jagged shapes recall the suffragettes' window smashing, shattering windows in offices and shops across London to gain public and media attention for their campaign.
LDN WMN artwork of Marion Dorn (2018) by Soheila SokhanvariOriginal source: Mayor of London
The piece also draws on ancient techniques developed to decorate Iranian palaces from broken glass from Venice in the 15th century.
“In both scenarios, the violence inflicted on the glass produced something positive, be it beauty or female emancipation,” says Sokhanvari.
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The location
Sokhanvari's piece sat on a busy concourse at Victoria station, not too far from Dorn's Chelsea apartment – where she lived with poster designer Edward McKnight Kauffer.
Around 85 million visitors use Victoria each year, connecting London with Gatwick Airport, the Underground Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.
LDN WMN artwork of Marion Dorn (2018) by Soheila SokhanvariOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Soheila Sokhanvari is a British/Iranian artist, whose multidisciplinary work weaves layers of political histories with strange, humorous and mysterious narratives in magic realist form.
She is drawn to events and traumas that linger in the collective consciousness or cause mass amnesia, telling the collective narrative through the story of the individual.
LDN WMN artists (2018) by GLA/Kevin LakeOriginal source: Mayor of London
