Installation in progress at Pallant House Gallery. Chichester

Dear all and particularly all embroiderers in Chichester.

I arrived in Chichester on Friday and as I entered the gallery I saw that everyone at the reception desk was embroidering a label. What a welcome! And what a response from the community in Chichester and around - 550 labels have been embroidered here during the summer. Fantastic! Thank you so, so much.

I have spent most of the hours here in Chichester in front of the wall getting the labels up. Today, many came to help me hammer in the tiny pins that eventually will hold each label up. In the beginning the wall or the pins were not very collaborative - for every label, three attempts were needed before the pin went in without getting bent. With more practice it became easier during the day and we are almost done now. Only a few more and to tidy up and the wall will be ready.

Thank you again for contributing such beautiful labels for the wall. I hope many of you will have a chance to come by the gallery and find your label among all the others.

Best Lise

Two workshops held at Hå Prestegard

Since the exhibition opened Sept 4th, two workshops have been arranged in the gallery room by Veronica Luzano. She is living in Nærbu,Jæren and working at Hå Prestegard, but born and raised in Mexico city, Mexico. In the workshops she shares deep knowledge of her country and culture. I am so glad for the involvement she is showing and her continuing wish to bring more people involved. I was back at Hå last weekend and was so glad to find so many labels being embroidered.

At the moment I am preparing to travel to Pallant House, Chichester to install Desconocida there for the opening of the exhibition Contemporary Eye, Crossovers with opening October 1st. In Chichester the public have been invited to embroider labels throughout the summer. And I just learned that more than 350 labels have been embroidered! That is great. I look very much forward to come and install the work.

More photos when I start in Chichester will come.

Thank you.

Best Lise

Update from Ciudad Juarez

I received another email from Diana Washington Valdez yesterday with an update on the situation:

A new statistic for you to use. According to COLEF Professor Julia Monarrez, as of last week, about 997 girls and women have been killed in Juarez, Mexico since 1993. I had a few more than Julia, because of information I was given by officials privately, so by my count, and with the latest weekend murders, the number of girls and women murdered in Juarez has surpassed 1,000.

(I know some people are saying that this is not many compared to the number of men killed. I agree many more men have been killed, particularly in the context of the drug wars, but I also know that historically the number of femicides is unprecedented for Juarez, and, they are too many.)

Yesterday I also met with The Latin American group in Norway (Latin-Amerikagruppene i Norge (LAG), www.latin-amerikagruppene.no,presenting the project and the situation in Juarez for them. They also embroidered labels. Many were familiar with the situation in Juarez, but maybe this meeting can also result in more involvement from them directly with organizations like Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa in Juarez?

Best Lise

Exhibition opened at Hå gamle prestegard

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent opened Saturday at Hå gamle prestegard. I had great help installing, particularly by Veronica Lozano and due to her help the installment went easier than my normal experience can be.
Just before the opening the other artists opening their exhibition CULTEX also at Hå, sat down and embroidered a label each. Two of the artists are from Japan. In Japanese to tell that a person is dead they have a special word describing the person to have become a star in the sky. They embroidered this word on the label.

I was glad to see that the table for embroidery was in use most of the time during the opening. Some brought labels with them home to do there and send back to Hå. Among them was a boy, age 6. He found a name he liked and colors to use and with help of his mother he would sew a label. He promised to write his name on the back so I could find his label. The following day I had a workshop in the gallery room, also well attended, several families visited and sat down to sew.

Next Saturday, Sept 11th, another workshop will be arranged, hosted by Veronica Lozano. She is originally from Mexico city and can contribute her deep knowledge of her culture to the presentation.

Thank you all for participating in the project.

Best Lise

Last news from Ciudad Juarez

Early this morning I had email contact with reporter Diana Washington Valdez in El Paso,Texas, getting an update on the current situation in Ciudad Juarez. This is what she shared with me:

336 people were killed in Juarez violence in August, nearly half were women. Since January, about 2006 people were killed in what authorities say are mostly drug-related homicides. They say that about almost all the murders of men and women without first investigating.
Combat-like conditions make it dangerous for everyone, man, woman or child. Recent events include car-bombings, armed hitmen bursting into a movie theater to kill someone, into a VIP's restaurant to kill another man, into hospitals -- no place is safe. People have a hard time trying to go about their daily affairs.

We continue to receive reports of young women disappearing, but the cases are not publicized by the authorities. We know from individual accounts that some women are kidnapped for ransom, others are taken elsewhere for sex-trafficking and others are killed and their bodies disposed of clandestinely.