Women Hold Up Half The Sky (2022)

Crabs in Clams collective x Singapore Womens of Council Organisation

“Located in Waterloo Street, the Singapore Council of Women’s Organization (SCWO) has a rich history of empowering and giving space to women and other marginalised communities. Our research for this work is based on their rich history and the communities they have built over years through their meetings and events. We are privileged to also have had access to their old publication archival, OneVoice. 

Throughout history, women have always been left to fend for themselves. By coming together in communities, women can find solidarity, seek refuge, and share lived experiences with other women in fearlessly building a community and family of support. The creative practice of tapestry-making and textiles has itself a long, rich history, and most importantly, has come to be known to be a woman’s craft. We posit that communal participation in tapestry-making still brings women together by grounding marginalised communities in love and acts of creation. This work is an emblem of our pride in a woman’s craft – one of many, but all of which are often looked down on. The clothes used in the creation of this work were thrifted and sourced from New2U, SCWO’s thrift store. The tapestry represents the importance of women coming together in support and solidarity. 

In the all-inclusive frame of feminism, we hope to bring awareness not just to women but also to other marginalized identities that suffer oppression under patriarchy. As artists, our work aims to change these narratives – rewriting a history that empowers instead of others, and reaching for and reclaiming what has always been ours for the taking.”

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Crabs in Clams Collective: Alya Rahmat, Charlene Ramos, Isabelle Lim, Kenenza Michiko, Sarita Abeysundere, Wan Oi Yin

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