Honour these Women and Children

The artwork is a large hanging puppet structure. The right side is covered with hessian cloth and printed names of the females who were termed as ‘idiot’ or ‘imbecile’ in York Union Workhouse on census records for 1901. Down the middle of the puppet is a red painted line. On the left side, the puppet is covered with newspaper and red painted words such as ‘loser, loner, lazy’. On the head of the puppet, on the right side is a pin badge with a sunflower on it an the words ‘face mask exempt’.

Mixed media sculpture.

Luca Young, (2024).

Exploring the 1899 local government report into ‘irregularities’ in the treatment of inmates at the York Union Workhouse, Luca’s creative response honors female lives, and the injustices they have, and do face. Drawing on lived experience, Luca’s mixed media puppet sculpture highlights similarities, then and now, and how power is withheld from diverse bodies and minds.

Location – The Marriot Room, York Explore, 12th, 13th, 14th July.

Description – The artwork is a large hanging puppet structure. The right side is covered with hessian cloth and printed names of the females who were termed as ‘idiot’ or ‘imbecile’ in York Union Workhouse on census records for 1901.  Down the middle of the puppet is a red painted line.  On the left side, the puppet is covered with newspaper and red painted words such as ‘loser, loner, lazy’. On the head of the puppet, on the right side is a pin badge with a sunflower on it an the words ‘face mask exempt’.