Comments on: Ladies of the Town http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/ I am not a has-been. I am a will be. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:24:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Grannymar http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6525 Grannymar Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:20:19 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6525 Louise, welcome and thanks for your input. Congratulations on producing such a terrific reminder of the work women did in difficult times and in dreadful conditions. In out modern homes with gadgetry everywhere and push button lifestyles it is easy to forget what life was like. I wish you well with the Shirt factory project. We may not want to go back to that lifestyle, but reminders are no harm! Louise, welcome and thanks for your input.
Congratulations on producing such a terrific reminder of the work women did in difficult times and in dreadful conditions. In out modern homes with gadgetry everywhere and push button lifestyles it is easy to forget what life was like.

I wish you well with the Shirt factory project. We may not want to go back to that lifestyle, but reminders are no harm!

]]> By: Louis Walsh http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6521 Louis Walsh Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:29:41 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6521 Hi grannymar and all, I am Louise Walsh the sculptor and a friend sent me this link! it was lovely to read all the nice comments. I forgot to sign the sculpture and all my friends give me a hard time about that as the piece was about women and low pay. I also called it 'Monument to the Unknown Woman Worker' as a kind of comment about all the war heroes we put monuments up to, but we do not honour the people who do the mostly unpaid or low paid work that keeps society and economy afloat. I was asked to make a piece about prostitution for a site across the road but the brief was quite offensive and was looking for caricatures of 'prossies', so I was delighted to think up a solution that tries to adress the real issue behind the sex industry (womens economic position in the workforce). It was then banned by those that commissioned it, and when the story broke as to the facts of the brief, they had egg on their faces but the prostution issue would not go away and I think people coundnt deal with the idea that a work could allude to prostitution with out "being a monument to it". The debate floundered on sectarian politics as people from polar opposite parties supported the piece but couldnt be seen to agree no matter what so various whips and messing went on in the City Hall so the Belfast City Council voted not to allow it go up anywhere on City owned land. It got privately commissioned a few years later, that site is privately owned. If you want to look at other work and get a bit of background on this piece you can look at my website louisewalsh.org Best, Louise Ps; Re shirt factory workers; I am struggling with a large project in Derry about the shirt factory workers but now (after 3 years and the work half done) the site has become unavailable( Road service says they will not allow it but the line is way above the height of all bridges crossing dual carriageways in NI), the work was designed specifically for that site and topography and although I could re design it somehow, to go somewhere else, it would take a few months full on work and the help of engineers etc. But I have not been offered another site. Hi grannymar and all,
I am Louise Walsh the sculptor and a friend sent me this link! it was lovely to read all the nice comments.
I forgot to sign the sculpture and all my friends give me a hard time about that as the piece was about women and low pay. I also called it ‘Monument to the Unknown Woman Worker’ as a kind of comment about all the war heroes we put monuments up to, but we do not honour the people who do the mostly unpaid or low paid work that keeps society and economy afloat.
I was asked to make a piece about prostitution for a site across the road but the brief was quite offensive and was looking for caricatures of ‘prossies’, so I was delighted to think up a solution that tries to adress the real issue behind the sex industry (womens economic position in the workforce). It was then banned by those that commissioned it, and when the story broke as to the facts of the brief, they had egg on their faces but the prostution issue would not go away and I think people coundnt deal with the idea that a work could allude to prostitution with out “being a monument to it”. The debate floundered on sectarian politics as people from polar opposite parties supported the piece but couldnt be seen to agree no matter what so various whips and messing went on in the City Hall so the Belfast City Council voted not to allow it go up anywhere on City owned land. It got privately commissioned a few years later, that site is privately owned. If you want to look at other work and get a bit of background on this piece you can look at my website louisewalsh.org
Best,
Louise
Ps; Re shirt factory workers; I am struggling with a large project in Derry about the shirt factory workers but now (after 3 years and the work half done) the site has become unavailable( Road service says they will not allow it but the line is way above the height of all bridges crossing dual carriageways in NI), the work was designed specifically for that site and topography and although I could re design it somehow, to go somewhere else, it would take a few months full on work and the help of engineers etc. But I have not been offered another site.

]]> By: Grannymar http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6499 Grannymar Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:25:17 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6499 Alice the moral of this story for me is to lose the blinkers, clear the mind and look at what is all about me. Alice the moral of this story for me is to lose the blinkers, clear the mind and look at what is all about me.

]]> By: Alice http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6498 Alice Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:18:53 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6498 Does anyone "out there" doubt the veracity of blogging? . . when there are things like this to be discovered from each other on an almost daily basis! Thanks Granny Mar. It's a lovely post. Does anyone “out there” doubt the veracity of blogging? . . when there are things like this to be discovered from each other on an almost daily basis! Thanks Granny Mar. It’s a lovely post.

]]> By: Grannymar http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6406 Grannymar Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:31:25 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6406 Laura I love that song. The women were a major part of the workforce in the linen, shirt and rope factories here in the Wee North. I met a wonderful woman when we were both patients in Musgrave Park Hospital back in the early 90's. She worked from 12 years of age in a Rope Facrory, very often in her bare feet ankle deep in cold water!! Despite her distorted feet and hands and numerous visits to theatre she had us laughing from morn till night. Patients from other wards asked to be moved in with us and a Consultant told us that we had no need for medication as we had found our own! Laura I love that song. The women were a major part of the workforce in the linen, shirt and rope factories here in the Wee North.

I met a wonderful woman when we were both patients in Musgrave Park Hospital back in the early 90’s. She worked from 12 years of age in a Rope Facrory, very often in her bare feet ankle deep in cold water!!

Despite her distorted feet and hands and numerous visits to theatre she had us laughing from morn till night. Patients from other wards asked to be moved in with us and a Consultant told us that we had no need for medication as we had found our own!

]]> By: Laura http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6403 Laura Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:13:54 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6403 That's a wonderful post. It made me think of that line in the Song "The Town I Loved So Well" and the line about the women in the shirt factory who kept their families in food. Also I have always thought that those Northern ladies are made of very strong stuff. That’s a wonderful post. It made me think of that line in the Song “The Town I Loved So Well” and the line about the women in the shirt factory who kept their families in food. Also I have always thought that those Northern ladies are made of very strong stuff.

]]> By: Grannymar http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6400 Grannymar Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:11:38 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6400 magpie it is all part of MY learning curve. magpie it is all part of MY learning curve.

]]> By: Magpie 11 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6397 Magpie 11 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:53:16 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6397 A family of friends down the road reversed the role....he stayed at home and brought up the children etc......sorry..... looked after the children and she went to work to earn the pennies. Now both the girls are at school he has retrained as aDriving instructor and works part time. He's from Northern Ireland BTW. I sometimes wonder how amny finacial geniuses there are out there among "the matriarchy"...I wish my mother had not destroyed her Housekeeping Books on my father's death...she kept his letters....theywoul make af acinating social document about how the wife of a wandering farmworker managed in the late 40s, 50s and 60s (wandering? 30+ houses in 26 years of marriage) On the subject of municipal Art....10 out of 10 to Chicago for theior Millenium Park.... Thanks for the great introduction to Louise GM. A family of friends down the road reversed the role….he stayed at home and brought up the children etc……sorry….. looked after the children and she went to work to earn the pennies.

Now both the girls are at school he has retrained as aDriving instructor and works part time. He’s from Northern Ireland BTW.

I sometimes wonder how amny finacial geniuses there are out there among “the matriarchy”…I wish my mother had not destroyed her Housekeeping Books on my father’s death…she kept his letters….theywoul make af acinating social document about how the wife of a wandering farmworker managed in the late 40s, 50s and 60s (wandering? 30+ houses in 26 years of marriage)

On the subject of municipal Art….10 out of 10 to Chicago for theior Millenium Park….

Thanks for the great introduction to Louise
GM.

]]> By: Grannymar http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6392 Grannymar Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:15:02 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6392 Baino ~ Only the other day I heard the phrase 'I'm only a housewife!' WWW ~ I only covered a few of the messages, as you know they are all over the sculpture. Baino ~ Only the other day I heard the phrase ‘I’m only a housewife!’

WWW ~ I only covered a few of the messages, as you know they are all over the sculpture.

]]> By: wisewebwoman http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/04/19/ladies-of-the-town/#comment-6389 wisewebwoman Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:12:35 +0000 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=915#comment-6389 Ah, the beloved patriarchy, GM! I was so heartened to see these sculptures that last time I was in the Wee North. Talk of whacking the message home! Great post, really brings home what our matriarchal ancestors had to suffer through, the daily shopping, the far too many children and all the washing pre-machine. And the drying was a story unto itself. Thanks! XO WWW Ah, the beloved patriarchy, GM!
I was so heartened to see these sculptures that last time I was in the Wee North. Talk of whacking the message home!
Great post, really brings home what our matriarchal ancestors had to suffer through, the daily shopping, the far too many children and all the washing pre-machine. And the drying was a story unto itself.
Thanks!
XO
WWW

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