Will There Be Womanly Times? Reflections on the Work of Ellen Lesperance

This article investigates textiles as translation and tribute through the work of artist Ellen Lesperance. Focusing on her body of work about the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, exploring themes of activism, feminism and knitting. Drawing from photographs and archival footage, Lesperance faithfully recreates the patterns, symbols and colors of knitwear worn by women in the camp through intricate, gridded paintings. The knitwear was worn by the protesters to display messages of intent and affiliation to a political cause. Clothing is often used as a communication of protest, but these distinctive jumpers were each handmade incorporating hours of labor, love, and wear by the women in the camp. Lesperance's detailed knitting patterns can be seen as figurative paintings honoring the female activists who made and wore the original pieces. This article examines how textiles can express ideology and lived experience and draws on my current research into how we can use the past to inform design for the future. It explores archival research, reinterpretation, and recreation as a method to invoke the original.