I thought this morning that I would rush down to Derby Square in Liverpool to see the 1906 statue of Queen Victoria, Redressed. It would have been stunning - I quote below from the project's website ...
... but the project seemed to be Over. The QV statue outside Lime Street Station - draped, I read today - in the colors of the first woman to win the Grand National - was back to its normal pigeon-spattered self today. So I had a long walk under grey skies, in an early morning that smelled of stale chip fat, with only these inverted umbrellas offering a spot of brightness ...
Fashion Creative Karen Arthur collaborated with historian Laurence Westgaph, to create a stunning cotton and hessian dress for the Queen Victoria monument inspired by Gone With The Wind.
During Victoria’s reign, cotton played a crucial role in Liverpool’s trading activities, and the wider economic success of Britain, but up until the American Civil War in the 1860s, this cotton was being picked by enslaved people in the United States - as depicted in the film.
During Victoria’s reign, cotton played a crucial role in Liverpool’s trading activities, and the wider economic success of Britain, but up until the American Civil War in the 1860s, this cotton was being picked by enslaved people in the United States - as depicted in the film.
The upcycled hessian transported goods from the African continent which added to Britain's wealth. This satin patchwork cloak pays homage to a handmade quilt gifted to Queen Victoria by Martha Ricks, a black woman who travelled from Liberia especially to meet her idol.
This piece reflects on Liverpool’s complicity with slavery, and how Queen Victoria and Britain were beneficiaries of that as recently as 150 years ago.
This piece reflects on Liverpool’s complicity with slavery, and how Queen Victoria and Britain were beneficiaries of that as recently as 150 years ago.
https://www.statuesredressed.com/installations
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