Community responses to ‘Herstory’
With the generous support from Art Fund we invited a range of local women and young people to add their voices to Touchstones exhibition Herstory. Touchstones worked with a range of groups to generate their own personal creative responses to specific artworks. Their thanks go to the LGBTQ+ Society at Rochdale Sixth Form College and the women who attend Rochdale Connections Trust, Caring and Sharing and Zumba classes at Heywood Civic Centre and Rochdale Leisure Centre.
LGBTQ+ Society responding to Sadie Benning’s Volume 1&2
Responding to Benning’s deeply confessional films about the difficulty of growing up as a lesbian in 1980s America, the LGBTQ+ Society worked with artist Bryan Beresford to produce a ‘zine’ reflecting their experiences of growing up in Rochdale.
Rochdale Connections Trust responding to Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Travesty of a Mockery
This film was made by a group of women who meet at, and receive support from, Rochdale Connections Trust. Responding to Travesty of a Mockery by Sam Taylor-Johnson, they worked with the filmmaker Sean Lovell.
Women attending Zumba classes at Heywood Sports Village & Rochdale Leisure Centre responding to Barbara Kruger’s Untitled (Not ugly enough)
A group of women who regularly attend the Zumba classes at Heywood Sports Village and Rochdale Leisure Centre were invited to respond to the issues, such as the pressure on women to conform to an ideal body type, raised by Barbara Kruger’s work. They worked with professional writer Jane Bradley.
Listen to their responses below.
Caring and Sharing responding to Shirin Neshat’s Faceless (from the women of Allah)
Caring and Sharing works to support and empower the BAME, asylum seekers and the deprived in the community. A group of women from the charity responded to the work of Shirin Neshat through a series of creative writing exercises with professional writer Jane Bradley. Listen to their responses below.