Bread and Roses

‘A Reflection on the Idea of Free Labour in Art’, Bread And Roses Strike Centenary 1912-2012.

This work was inspired by the physicality of strike, particularly the “moving picket line” technique employed by female textile workers during the bread and roses strike of 1912.

The performance responded to gatherings around Clapham Common Bandstand in an attempt to raise new discussion on labour and cultural production.

Using fabric to wind around and extend from the structure of the bandstand, the material acts as a limit and restriction of passerby movement activity in space but also becomes an invitation of participation in a protest performance highlighting the epidemic of expected unpaid work in the current market.