field notes: FINAL CERAMIC session IN-PERSON at STOCKPORT GRIT WITH CERAMICIST BEV MEYER

We’re well into our third phase of LGBTQ+ Gynae Stories now. If you’ve seen my previous field notes you’ll know I’ve recently brought Bev Meyer into the project to realise the group’s ideas around votives.

Over the last 18 months, alongside different votives we’ve also been researching the recipe books and more specifically gynae herbal remedies in the Wellcome Collection (including trans herbalism in recent weeks). Whilst preparing our votives for saggar firing, the group chose to wrap their work in herbs relevant to their lived experience, along with other meaningful combustible materials they chose to bring along. Some wrote poems or brought specific items to burn alongside their votive work as a ritual offering. To add imagery onto the votives we used stencils inspired by images of herbs in the collection. We also raku glazed some of our pieces too. It was a great session of making, but - as always - the real work here is in the conversations and shared experience. And that’s hard to bottle, or get across in a quick photo. The group continue to blow me away with their openness and commitment to this important work.

Fingers crossed that our votives survive the firing! Big thanks again to Bev for helping with this element of the project.

Our next creative task led by the group members is photographic portraits. Watch this space!

This participatory research and socially engaged project is being delivered with a group from Greater Manchester and beyond in collaboration with the Wellcome Collection.

Images below: process imagery including work by Anna, Anastasia, Julia, Eris, me, Alex, Kate, Paula, Sarah, Sarah-Jane, and of course, Bev.

Read more about our research into votives.

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This participatory research and socially engaged project is being delivered in collaboration with the Wellcome Collection.