Before I attended the People’s Vote protest in 2019, I made two banners to march with. They were much admired. Very few textile banners were in evidence, with most people carrying homemade placards.  I make no criticism of this. The sentiment was great, the sense of immediacy portrayed was energising, and some were of great quality and tremendous wit. I was struck by the number of slogans and phrases that could equally have been used on the much smaller pro-Brexit march the following week or any other march for that matter.

 

With this in mind, I created a series of beautifully crafted banners with words and slogans that could be taken on any protest march.  Most textile banners, apart from those hastily painted on an old sheet the night before, are identifiers - “We are the [insert place name] branch of [insert group/body/union etc.]”. My banners are more akin to placards but embrace the traditions of traditionally sewn banners. I chose to seek design inspiration from historical banners, though with a more contemporary aesthetic, avoiding cheap satin and tassels. I have also paid close attention to the mechanics. Banner poles are the skeletons of banners - they give them their structure and third dimension. Sleeves, cord and turreted hanging tabs are all used along with side tabs for two-pole banners, pole rapes and ties.

 

I have always been drawn to text. We are conditioned to read. We are taught how to absorb and process text, but not how to read images. A picture may paint 1000 words, but 6 words on a banner convey a meaning far quicker than a painting for many of us. Very few placards used in contemporary protest include imagery, allegory or symbolic meaning. Despite this being the era of Instagram, we are still conditioned to read. 

 

Piecing and appliqué provide texture and a third dimension to the work. It is important to me that they are well crafted and hang well, and poor workmanship does not detract from the message. In homage to the cardboard placards, some of the banners have shadows of commonly found packaging on the rear. Each piece is individual and should ultimately work on its own, but these are a collection. The installation is presented as if they were on a march, without the people.