Processions

On Sunday 10 June, the streets of the four political capitals of the UK – Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London – were filled with colour as tens of thousands of women and girls took part in the extraordinary mass-participation artwork PROCESSIONS.

At the start of each route, participants were given scarves to wear in one of the three suffragette colours – green, white and violet – and were choreographed to walk together through the streets. The visual effect was that of a vast, living suffragette flag unfurling across the cities. The routes finished with each procession walking underneath an arch that read “My Vote Really Makes a Difference”.

PROCESSIONS, produced by Artichoke and commissioned by 14-18 NOW,  was a lively, positive and emotional celebration of the centenary suffrage, with participants singing and dancing along the routes.

Women from all walks of life came together in celebration to create this moving artwork. As part of PROCESSIONS, beautifully decorated banners were carried proudly through the streets, painting a vivid picture of women across the UK today. These carried messages of commemoration for the women of 1918 and for the work still to be done.

This momentous event was broadcast live on BBC One and shared across the globe on social media.