Activists and Architects of Change: Senate Women

“Has there been a moment when you took the plunge, and did something on your own behalf that changed your life?” In a series of interviews recorded over the summer of 2018, theatre director Patrick Sandford put this question to ten remarkable women working in Senate House. Their answers reflected a wide variety of experiences, from professional risks to childhood memories: taking part in triathlons, being a feminist in the heavy metal scene, quitting jobs without a firm plan, and playing a stork in a school play.

Edited down to seven-minute audio tracks, each interview played in a loop from one of the ten windows at the top of Senate House’s stately ceremonial stairs, alongside a large acetate photograph of the speaker displayed stained-glass style. Sitting in the window bays, listeners could stop and listen to the stories of each woman, while hearing echoes of the others whispering around them.

The force behind Senate Women was Bloomsbury Festival director Kate Anderson, who had wanted to create a piece for the festival in keeping with its 2018 theme – Activists and Architects of Change – that would highlight the many ways in which women have been forces for change in their own lives:

When we first had the idea of the project, we didn't realise how motivating and entertaining it would turn out to be, thanks to the amazing women who shared their fascinating stories with us. From the Festival's perspective this was a perfect way to highlight the real people who live and work here, the 'everyday activists' alongside the world-leading artists, academics and scientists.

Supported by the University of London’s Leading Women campaign, the installation celebrated the energy and determination of women from across the Senate House community.

‘I don’t separate activism from my everyday life’: The voices of Senate Women

Kate, Patrick and I wanted to include as wide a variety as possible of women’s voices and stories – and the ten women who took part in the project worked in many different roles throughout Senate House, ranging from librarians, programmers and catering staff to academics, cleaners and students.

Participants included SOAS Director Valerie Amos, who recalled how she had left her job as Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission without having a new post to go to – "the hardest thing for me was working out what I was going to tell my mother!" She then reflected on advice to pass onto the next generation:

I tell them to have courage, and that it’s important to embrace risk, and to make mistakes. Although I’ll fess up that I hate making mistakes! But I know that I grow from them... And I tell them to be good to themselves. And to understand that asking for support is not a weakness.

Catering Supervisor Linda Wotodjo-Uwoloh remembered the elation she felt on getting her first paycheck after beginning her job:

"This job changed my life – because when I started here, I got a sense of freedom, when I got my first salary… I started understanding that…I could wake up in the morning and start doing something for myself, without asking anyone else for any financial help."

Meanwhile, Amanda DiGioia, a PhD student from the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies researching feminism in heavy metal, discussed acts of everyday activism:

"Through activism and through feminism, through being loud and vocal, I’ve had men on the internet tell me that I can find the poison in anything…  Well, there’s lots of poison in patriarchy, and if it takes me to point it out, I don’t mind being loud and outspoken… I don’t separate activism from my everyday life because I think living not in adherence to patriarchal standards is an act of activism every day."

Senate Women at the Bloomsbury Festival

Installed within Senate House in October during the Bloomsbury Festival, Senate Women attracted some 800 listeners over the five days of the festival. It served as a sideways contribution to the University of London’s Leading Women campaign – all the women featured were very much leading women, and it was a real privilege to share their stories.

Reflecting on the project, Patrick Sandford remarked:

These women were extraordinarily honest in their interviews. Each of them in her own way showed very clearly that while professional achievements are important and sometimes impressive, it is the personal, human challenges in our lives that make us the people we are. This was always inspiring, and in some cases very moving.

Senate Women will be up in Senate House for the week following International Women’s Day, and the interviews are also available online as a virtual audio installation – you can either listen via SoundCloud or by downloading the Senate Women app (available for iOS or Android). Whether describing changes great or small, the women of Senate House suggest how moments of everyday activism can have lasting effects.

The Bloomsbury Festival is an annual celebration of the area’s pioneering creativity, presenting an inspiring programme of arts, science, literature, performance, discussion and reflection - follow them on Twitter @bloomsburyfest. Dr Elizabeth Dearnley is a producer, researcher and artist, and Communications & Engagement Assistant for the University of London's Leading Women campaign. You can find her on Twitter @eliza_dearnley.