OCA Painting student Jessica Voke.
The world took a deep breath and locked its doors. Totally alone we muddled through...
No weigh-ins for baby. No health checks. No support groups. No kind pair of hands to guide us. Nobody to keep an eye on us during those sleepless months to make sure we weren't losing our minds... We are a unique breed of mother, those who passed through this ancient rite of passage entirely alone, without the help of their village.
And now... it's time to get together and look back, in order to move forward. This collaborative textile project hosted by local artist and lockdown mum, Jessica Voke, invites the entire community to sit and work side by side, to help heal the trauma of the many months of obligatory isolation experienced during the national lockdowns. We'll use the meditative process of kantha slow-stitching to quilt a huge patchwork rainbow. No previous experience required!
Come lend a hand - whether for five minutes or five hours - and let's darn the rips in society's fabric which resulted from enforced distancing. This is a safe space to chat about what we all lived through. All ages, genders, and skill-sets are welcome. Tea, cake, folk music, and new friends provided!
If sewing's not your thing, there's also an audio installation featuring local lockdown mums' lived experiences, and an installation of embroidery word art naming the specifics of their trauma.
The week will end with a small ceremony, inviting community members to symbolically present the quilt to some of the local lockdown mums. There will be spoken word performances and wine, to draw a line under the past and look ahead to a more unified future.
Collaborative event open: Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th January 2023. FREE ENTRY.
The Poly, 24 Church St, Falmouth, TR11 3EG
Read a local press coverage of the project here https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/23217801.falmouth-mums-lockdown-quilt-project-poly-january/