Sunday, September 17, 2006

Labels are coming back to me




The labels are starting to come back to me, which I am very happy for. They all look so indivual and bear traces of the person having embroidered it, both through choise of color, stiches and the handwriting. I am looking forward to make the installation in the Museum. The installation will be done as neutral as possible, in order for each label and each name to be seen the best. The essence of this project is located with each participant's time spent to embroider the label while hearing the story of the women.

I got images yesterday along with the labels from a group working in the Philippines. The participants were women survivors of sexual abuse.

I have also posted some images from a group working almost at the other end of the world, up north in Norway, where two communities met to embroider and discuss the situation in Juárez a few weeks back.

I will continue the embroidering during the exhibtion, the additional embroidered labels of each name will be kept and used when, and if, the exhibtion travels. In the end all the labels will be brought back into society again, continuing to raise awareness of Juárez and hopefully also raise some money for the mothers in Juárez. More information about this part of the project to be posted a little later.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Seeing Missing young woman and embroidering labels





Thursday I showed the documentary Missing young woman, by Lourdes Portillo,
while embroidering labels in Oslo. The feedback from the participants were they all felt participating in a project of meaning and that actually women's fight for justice and worthiness are heard. Just the fact that they and so many others around the world are participating are telling something about connection and support. Symbolically women's traces are crossing. I ended the evening with a performance;
Presence Precencia Tilstedeværelse that I hope to do at the opening of the exhibition. The women of Juárez have been described as voiceless. They are not. Women are not. Expression of strength and courage can be expressed without words, using precisely the voice.

Participants in following countries as of August 31st:
Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica (2 groups), Denmark, Finland, Iran, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway( 8 groups spread out throughout the country), Philippines (2 groups), Spain, Sweden (2 groups), United Kingdom (2 groups), United States (Alaska, Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas (3 groups))