The silent history of war’s impact on women is being unveiled in a Footscray exhibition.
The Women Wept exhibition, by artists Karenne Anne, Tamara Watt and Heather Horrocks, explores the terrible toll war takes on women left at home.
Ms Horrocks said when men perished overseas or returned broken in mind and body, women were there to pick up the pieces.
“We honour the men who died overseas, but lots of men came back injured and with shell shock; it was up to the women to look after them.”
The FAIR [Footscray Arts Industry Resources] project is in two parts, the first focusing on research, including objects and memorabilia, the second on grief and grieving.
LEST WE FORGET
Ms Horrocks said the project involved gathering anecdotes from many different women.
They include a story from a woman who recalled her mother taking her to the movies every Friday night as a child.
She later learned that Fridays were the nights her father would drink heavily to forget what he had seen on the warfront.
“War is a terrible thing, but we keep doing it. It ricochets and echoes right through the generations – we need to honour the loss and grief on the largely silent victims as well.”
As part of the project, Ms Horrocks will be visiting inner-west libraries, inviting women to join her in her quest to knit socks from original WWI patterns as a way to explore family stories.
Women Wept has been funded under the federal government’s Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program. The exhibition can be viewed by appointment at Ercildoune, 66 Napier Street, Footscray.
Details at www.facebook.com/fairartprojects
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