‘Suffrage’ comes from the French word meaning ‘vote’. A hundred years have not yet passed since women were granted the right to vote. Emmeline Pankhurst and Louise Eates spent the late 19th and early 20th centuries protesting for equal rights. These famous sufragettes were presented with specially commissioned pieces of jewellery by the Women’s Social and Political Union to acknowledge their important contribution in the fight for equal voting rights in the UK, granted finally by 1928.
“Power is usually not given willingly, but taken”
Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects (BBC Radio 4)
BBC Radio 4 recently featured a penny coin from 1903, with the image of Edward VII defaced by the words ‘Votes for women’. Suffrage artefacts like this and the framed portrait above echo the historical campaign for gender equality. Using green for hope, white for purity and purple for dignity, contemporary designers reference the suffrage legacy and women’s continuing struggle to get their voices heard.
As part of the Suffrage Science project, students taking Jewellery and Textiles BA degrees at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design have created bespoke pieces for women scientists to wear. After a year, these pieces will be passed on, as science heirlooms, to the next generation of female scientists.
Based on the students’ design work, VV Rouleaux is producing a series of commemorative ribbons to unite women across scientific professions. Ribbons will be available to purchase from www.vvrouleaux.com.
Textiles
Second-year degree students taking the BA in Textile Design at Central Saint Martins participated in a competition to have their designs produced by ribbon specialists, VV Rouleaux. Students spent three weeks researching suffragists and scientists, before weaving six ribbons designed to wear. Work by winner, Kyung Young Jeon, was inspired by the science of Dorothy Hodgkin and references the suffrage movement that fought for equal voting rights at the start of the last century.
Course Tutor: Philippa Brock, Course Director: Anne Marr
Jewellery
First-year degree students taking the BA in Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins participated in a competition to have their designs made for leading women life scientists. Two winning designs – by Anya Malhotra and Benita Gikatie – were selected by a panel of judges for production. Pendants and brooches were crafted courtesy of Martin Baker for leading women scientists.
Course Tutor: Giles Last, Course Director: Caroline Broadhead
Designs selected for production include the pendant and brooch featured below:
