Whose That Girl

So much of the heritage of the Bridgewater Canal is about men. It makes you wonder – where were the women?

WHO’S THAT GIRL, A heritage Lottery funded project, exploring the hidden women in the history of The Bridgewater Canal. Led by lead artist, Sally Gilford.

The pieces were inspired by the identity of The Pit Brow Lasses. Pit Brow Lasses were women that worked in the mines until 1842 when they were forbidden by law to go underground. They could be employed in equally heavy industry on the pit face such as loading wagons, sorting coal on conveyor belts and hauling heavy tubs up from the mine.

These women were considered the first women to wear trousers, which was the source of huge controversy. In addition to trousers, they also wore harness-style belts with chains so they were able to pull coal carts. These belts wore holes into their clothing and the women were often demonised for their appearance.

I collaborated with artist Sally Gilford to create a range of silver jewellery to explore the symbolism of the belt fastenings – something which illustrates the expectation of how women are expected to behave and look versus how in reality they needed to possess strength and resilience. The materials and processes we used to create the jewellery also reflect the industrial making on the canal.

Their work also features hidden messages and acid-etched surface pattern taken from Sally’s screen prints of Jennifer Reid’s vocals.

http://www.est1761.org/pit-brow-lasses
https://salfordmakers.com/
https://sallygilford.com/