Science Gallery London
Threads of Protest appeared at the Science Gallery in London from 5th May to 31st July 2026.
This film of Threads of Protest was created by Fabio Vieira. It captures the gallery space and how the artwork was presented. In the background on loop was my Freebirth video exploring women’s experiences of freebirthing in the UK.
The Science Gallery was a very different space to The Atkinson. The designers decided to give the crochet panels room to breathe, which meant not all the donated squares were displayed. As the panels were all different sizes, there had to be some consideration as to how they would fit together in the small space that was available. Nevertheless, even with a smaller amount of squares on display, the colours and the variety of designs are impactful. Reece Straw was hired by the gallery to capture all these images.
Powerful Birthing Woman had been very vulnerable at The Atkinson and during the exhibition was damaged and manhandled - a sad indictment to the reality of how the world interacts with women’s bodies. At the Science Gallery, we decided to secure her differently - although unfortunately she was still sexualised and inappropriately manhandled by some visitors.
At the Science Gallery, we were really fortunate to have these graphics designed by Marcia Mihotich, who incorporated crochet pattern stitches into the font. Very clever!
The exhibition contained a public engagement artwork in which visitors answered a question using thread. What Should Care Look Like invited people to respond using coloured yarn depicting how important they considered certain aspects of maternity care.