Festival display sheds light on story of women’s suffrage
LIGHT NIGHT in Leeds is now into its 14th year and this week’s looks set to be more illuminating than ever, especially when it comes to the history of Leeds suffragettes.
Light and sound artist Karen Monid, from The Projection Studio, which last year created the inspiring display on the Civic Hall, has realised a long-held dream.
“I was nine when my mother, Carole, first introduced me to the suffragettes by handing me a copy of the
which had a special article about them. She said these were important women I should know about. I think from that point on I have always had an interest in what they achieved. I remember handling some of the original leaflets when I was 16, so this has always been something I wanted to do.”
Karen has worked on arts projects in the UK and across the world, not least at the Houses of Parliament, the Millennium Dome and York Minster, where she lit up the roof of the nave. This year she will be using The Leeds Library on Commercial Street as her canvas, creating a light and sound display which aims to recapture the febrile atmosphere which surrounded many of the suffragette gatherings. The display,
will centre on two Leeds figures in particular: Leonora Cohen and Mary Gawthorpe and will include portraits of the women by Leeds artist Suman Kaur.
A fiercely militant campaigner, in 1911 Leonora famously threw a rock at the window of a government building and was arrested and jailed before again being imprisoned in 1913, this time for hurling an iron bar through a showcase at the Tower of London. Her fellow suffragette Mary was a regular speaker at huge national events, including a rally in London’s Hyde Park in 1908 in front of more than 200,000 people.
Karen, 47, says: “Through this piece, we’ll see suffrage history through the eyes and experiences of two women from Leeds. Through their lives and actions we get to know what that period looked like but we also get to know more about them as women, which was really important to me as I want people to connect with them.
“Both Leonora and Mary would have seen themselves as quite ordinary women who became part of something extraordinary and through that, they were able to find strengths and talents they never realised they had. I think we can all take something from that – the things that are sent to challenge us are very often what helps us grow.”
Their exploits have particular relevance with this year’s Light Night, which begins tomorrow and runs until Friday, and has the theme of progress and innovation, with installations exploring important moments in history which have been a catalyst for social change. This year also marks 100 years since the first women in the UK won the right to vote.
“Recordings of Leonora paint a clear picture of a very committed and focused woman who was very determined and if she set her mind to something, you can tell nothing was going to distract her,” explains Karen.
“What we know about Mary reveals a very different personality and I don’t think people realise she was quite the celebrity and a lively, witty orator who had an excellent way with audiences.
“Their stories are still so relevant today – they both saw suffrage as a means to and end and as a way of improving the lot of women and the people they were connected to. I think they would have recognised that what’s happening today is part of a continuing fight for equality.”
The display will be one of more than 60 installations at city centre locations during the two-night festival, with other venues including Kirkgate Market and Leeds Town Hall. For more details, visit lightnightleeds.co.uk.