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 west London.
Lolita Roy by Susi Disorder, Hammersmith underpass
Susi Disorder celebrated the life and work of Indian suffragette Lolita Roy, using multi-layered imagery to reflect on her role within reform movements of the early 20th century. Roy was an indisputable force. She was a key organiser of the 1911 Women's Coronation Procession – a 40,000-strong suffragette march through London. She served as the president of the London Indian Union Society, and raised funds for Indian women's education. Disorder's four-sided piece explores the role Roy played within the broader suffrage movement.
LDN WMN artwork of Lolita Roy (2018) by Susi DisorderOriginal source: Mayor of London
Roy was superimposed over Kew's damaged tea pavilion, which was set fire to by a pair of suffragettes in 1918.
There were also glimpses of the Royal Pavilion of Brighton, which was used as a wartime hospital for Indian soldiers, whose welfare Roy campaigned for.
Gómez Larrañaga says the inclusion of the building reflects on Britain's colonial influence, while its distorted imagery hints at the violence the building's “exoticised” architecture concealed.
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The location
Roy was born in Calcutta however she spent much of her life in Hammersmith after moving to London in 1901.
Disorder took over a large cube structure outside Hammersmith Town Hall, a site chosen for its changing light conditions, which will expose different layers of the piece throughout the day and night.
LDN WMN artwork of Lolita Roy (2018) by Susi DisorderOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Susi Disorder (or Susana Gómez Larrañaga) works with digital generative processes, time-based media and site-specific installations.
Fascinated by derelict sites and their entropic assemblages, her work investigates the material intricacies of “undead” data legacies through processes of decay.
She has exhibited at TATE Britain among other galleries in the UK, Spain and Poland.
Jackie Forster by Soofiya, Portobello Road
To celebrate journalist Jackie Forster, artist Soofiya took inspiration from Jackie’s LGBTQ rights activism. “I didn't see myself as being a lesbian, or her, because I didn't look as I imagined they did, nor did she,” said Forster, of the representation of gay women. Using this quote as a foundation, Soofiya reflects on the depiction of lesbians in mainstream media and art, but also the absence of women of colour from the conversation. The wall piece was created in vivid colours, drawing on the tradition of Mughal paintings. It recalls Forster's childhood in India, and hopes to offer the same “radical, bold and brave message” that the activist spread through her work with the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.
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The location
As one of the founders of Sappho – the UK's longest-running lesbian publication – Forster held editorial gatherings in The Chepstow pub.
Now closed, the pub was located just around the corner from the Portobello road site, where Soofiya's piece could be found.
The space was provided by Jack Arts – an independent creative out-of-home agency specialising in the arts and culture space.
Jack Arts crafts bold and unconventional campaigns that cause a welcome disruption on the street and runs UK-wide poster schemes as well as one-of-a-kind specialist builds, murals, installations, ambient and experiential campaigns.
LDN WMN artwork of Jackie Forster (2018) by SoofiyaOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Soofiya’s art practice and writings aim to articulate a commentary on gender non-conformity, race, politics and bodies through a DIY and therapeutically informed approach.
Soofiya currently lectures at Ravensbourne University and works as designer and artist for a variety of arts, cultural and activist organisations.
Mary Seacole by Heather Agyepong, The Cockpit Theatre Marylebone
Heather Agyepong explored a lesser-known side of Mary Seacole's life, with a self-portrait that celebrates this famous nurse's use of herbal remedies. Seacole believed in traditional natural medicine, which she learned about from her mother in the Caribbean. Agyepong focused not just on Seacole's compassion and dedication, but also her bravery. “Her fearlessness in defying the socio-economic boundaries laid at her feet are inspirational to other marginalised communities who feel silenced in today's world,” says the artist.
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The location
Agyepong's work took over a wall at the Cockpit theatre in Marylebone, not far from Paddington where Seacole passed away in 1881.
The Cockpit theatre is an example of 1970s Modernist architecture and the only purpose-built theatre-in-the-round in the south east.
As well as performances, the work Cockpit create explores the Theatre of Ideas and Disruptive Panache: work that has something different to say and an exciting way of saying it.
It also presents contemporary music events, kids’ shows, classes and professional development courses, including its new Theatre Maker strand.
LDN WMN artwork of Mary Seacole (2018) by Heather AgyepongOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Heather’s practice is concerned with mental health and wellbeing, activism, the diaspora and the archive.
She uses both lens-based practices and performance with an aim of creating a cathartic experience both for herself and the viewer.
She uses the technique of re-imagination to engage with communities of interest and the self as a central focus within the image.
In this piece, Agyepong reimagines herself as Seacole, wandering through Epping Forest in search of herbal remedies to help the wounded – a reflection not just on the nurse's life's work, but also on the importance of clean air and open spaces in London.
LDN WMN artists (2018) by GLA/Kevin LakeOriginal source: Mayor of London
