French civilian women repairing tents, No. 8 Ordnance Depot, Abbeville, 1919. Photograph by Olive Edis © IWM (Q 8046)
Artwork © Mayas Dirar
Dr Pippa Oldfield with Ethar and Mayas Dirar and Arafa Gouda at Imperial War Museum. London, discussing photographs of women's war work by Olive Edis
'Line Time' is a research impact project with Freedom Women Collective: a group of artists who are survivors of conflict and forced displacement, resettled to Northern England as refugees.
The project was co-led by FWC artists Ethar Dirar, Mayas Dirar, and Arafa Gouda, with visual researcher and FWC co-founder Dr Lee Karen Stow, and myself. Together with project partners Imperial War Museums and Reckitt Heritage Archive, Hull, we explored factory work undertaken by women and resettled refugees, and its potential for creativity and agency. A series of workshops and archive visits led to the creation of new artworks, presentations, and public events including at Freedom Festival, Hull.
The project was funded by UKRI IAA (UK Research and Innovation Impact Accelerator Account) at Teesside University.
'Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech-Ring' by Laura Knight, 1943 © IWM (Art.IWM ART LD 2850)
'Work Life' artwork © Mayas Dirar
Ethar Dirar and Dr Lee Karen Stow presenting at Imperial War Museum
About Freedom Women Collective
Freedom Women Collective are artists Arafa Gouda, Nisreen Barazi, Gaida Dirar, Shuke Halake Aeroro and Faisa Omar, supported by fellow artists, activists and collaborators including Ethar Dirar, Mayas Dirar, Malak, Biftu and Sabrina. Based out of Hull (UK) the international collective are women who survived war, conflict and persecution, working with photographer and visual researcher Dr Lee Karen Stow, curator Prof Sarah Perks, and photography historian Dr Pippa Oldfield.
Exploring photographs in the Women's Work Collection at IWM
Visiting the Blavatnik Galleries at IWM London
Viewing Anna Airy's painting 'A Shell Forge at a National Projectile Factory, Hackney Marshes, London', 1918, at IWM London
Find out more
Read the guest blog post at IWM Blog or watch the 9 minute video documenting 'Tomorrow', a previous exhibition by Freedom Women Collective, co-curated by Prof Sarah Perks, commissioned by Freedom Festival Arts Trust and Imperial War Museum.
Credits
'Line Time' is co-produced by Dr Pippa Oldfield (Teesside University) and Dr Lee Karen Stow (Independent Visual Researcher and Project Coordinator) in partnership with members of the Freedom Women Collective, and MIMA School of Creative Arts & Industries at Teesside University. With thanks to Teesside University and the Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for funding our initial phase.