designer, director and producer of Suffragette City (O'Neill/Ross)
Q: What was your role in the Suffragette City reenactment here?
Helen: So Harry (Ross) and I specialise in site-specific and site-responsive work and we've worked with the National Trust and the National archives previously to recreate historic locations, secret histories, mostly that we have only because of the surveillance which is in the National Archive. To bring them back to life in their context, in the modern day to see what people think.
Q: So when did you start planning for this Suffragette City project?
Helen: Initially in November and then not again until January. We secured this location just before Christmas so after that we wanted to get on site as soon as possible.
Q: And start dressing it... and where do you source all the props and everything?
Helen: EBay, Gumtree, anywhere we can get things within our budget that are in the right materials. Also we've got great photographs of the WSPU headquarters so that was a very easy one to do but this place (the tea shop) was inspired by the Gardenia which was a vegetarian restaurant at the centre of ... we did look at that location. It's owned at the moment by the Really Useful Group and they're turning it into a restaurant but... it wasn't to be.. but here in the London Pavilion is where there were lots of meetings, Emmeline Pankhurst was arrested outside of here and the immediate area in terms of Regent Street and Bond Street .. windows were smashed.
Q: So when did this actually start - or when did it become open to the public?
Helen: On International Women's Day.
Q. So, February 8th. And what kind of response have you had from people so far that have been coming through?
Helen: Apart from enjoying the experience they've understood why we're doing it, which is amazing, that's lovely and apart from being layered over the actual area where they met interestingly, with International Women's Day we had the parades going past and we got all the audience together with all the recreated banners from downstairs and ran out into the parade and the banners fitted right in because equal pay is one of the things we're still looking for and that was one of the main arguments for giving women the vote because people understand the difficulties families face if there isn't equal pay and parity overall. So, the banners were still relevant and we just stormed right in which added a third layer of psychogeography which was wonderful.
Q: I think talking about it now because of the 100 years and it's terrible that we still haven't achieved some of those things... so you've had a really good response from people coming through?
Helen: Yes people are really excited at the end and one of the nicest things is when they come up here which is the end of the performance they sit around in groups with people they've met during the performance and talk about these things. So, when you're on the desk here at the end you overhear so many wonderful conversations and people are chatting about these issues which is why we're doing it.
Q: And can anyone get access to the National Archives?
Helen: Yes, so anyone can go and request to see documents and in fact they have an exhibition of documents that we've recreated here, they have an exhibition of the originals which is opening soon in Kew more info
.
Q: What was your role in the Suffragette City reenactment here?
Helen: So Harry (Ross) and I specialise in site-specific and site-responsive work and we've worked with the National Trust and the National archives previously to recreate historic locations, secret histories, mostly that we have only because of the surveillance which is in the National Archive. To bring them back to life in their context, in the modern day to see what people think.
Q: So when did you start planning for this Suffragette City project?
Helen: Initially in November and then not again until January. We secured this location just before Christmas so after that we wanted to get on site as soon as possible.
Q: And start dressing it... and where do you source all the props and everything?
Q: So when did this actually start - or when did it become open to the public?
Helen: On International Women's Day.
Q. So, February 8th. And what kind of response have you had from people so far that have been coming through?
Helen: Apart from enjoying the experience they've understood why we're doing it, which is amazing, that's lovely and apart from being layered over the actual area where they met interestingly, with International Women's Day we had the parades going past and we got all the audience together with all the recreated banners from downstairs and ran out into the parade and the banners fitted right in because equal pay is one of the things we're still looking for and that was one of the main arguments for giving women the vote because people understand the difficulties families face if there isn't equal pay and parity overall. So, the banners were still relevant and we just stormed right in which added a third layer of psychogeography which was wonderful.
Q: I think talking about it now because of the 100 years and it's terrible that we still haven't achieved some of those things... so you've had a really good response from people coming through?
Helen: Yes people are really excited at the end and one of the nicest things is when they come up here which is the end of the performance they sit around in groups with people they've met during the performance and talk about these things. So, when you're on the desk here at the end you overhear so many wonderful conversations and people are chatting about these issues which is why we're doing it.
Q: And can anyone get access to the National Archives?
Helen: Yes, so anyone can go and request to see documents and in fact they have an exhibition of documents that we've recreated here, they have an exhibition of the originals which is opening soon in Kew more info
.
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