Hidden Histories

About

In the book Who owned South Hill Park?, written by Diane Collins, the wives are mostly mentioned as an aside, with the focus on the men’s achievements in association with South Hill Park being their home. Alison has created a series of miniature vessels delicately made from resin, metal and fabric, that reference the female form and the scale of importance these women’s histories have been given. 

These hidden histories led Alison to think about her own Grandmother who taught her a whole range of sewing and embroidery techniques, as well as how to knit, crochet and tatting. She remembers;

‘Born in 1899, she was a patient and kind woman who lived just up the road from our home and was happy to share the domestic skills she had learnt during her younger years. My sister and I spent many happy hours with her sitting on her sofa learning different crafts and listening to her stories of growing up in the rural suburbs of north London. Like many women of her generation, her husband was damaged by serving in the First World War and was a shadow of a man.’

Alison has been asking, and this will continue throughout the exhibition, what memories people have of their Grandmother, or another older relative important to you? What kind of person was your Grandmother ? What adventures did she have as a young woman? Did she have an interesting job or has her focus been on family? What were her hobbies? 

Alison can then make a vessel in celebration of your Grandmother.