Sisters Uncut NCL
“We are Sisters Uncut. We stand united with all self-defining women who live under the threat of domestic violence, and those who experience violence in their daily lives. We stand against the life-threatening cuts to domestic violence services. We stand against austerity.
Safety is not a privilege. Access to justice cannot become a luxury.
This is our Hidden Civil War.
We stand united and fight together, and together we will win.” (2016)
Sisters Uncut NCL took up residence in the NewBridge Project Space for two days as part of the Hidden Civil War programme. Over two days Sisters Uncut NCL hosted a series of workshops, talks and events to bring sisters together and spread the word about the impact of austerity on vital services in our region.
SATURDAY
Who are Sisters?
To kick-off the 2-day residence in The Newbridge Project Gallery space, Sisters Uncut NCL hosted Who are Sisters? Women from Sisters Uncut groups across the UK came together to show how this powerful movement is taking direct-action against cuts to domestic violence services. Presentations from UK Sisters were followed by a discussion.
Make Yr Own Sisters Stuff: Propaganda and zine-making workshop
We painted placards, stitched banners, printed patches, made zines, and fashioned some propaganda! This provided an opportunity to get to know local sisters and get messy.
Dinner with Sisters Uncut & The Magic Hat Cafe
We were joined for dinner! (Food was made using ‘upcycled’ surplus food and was vegetarian/vegan).
SUNDAY
Breakfast Club – Drop in and have breakfast with us!
Reclaiming the Domestic Violence Agenda
This discussion event focused on the importance of specialist women’s services for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women, and how austerity cuts disproportionately affect women from minority backgrounds.
Making space, Taking place **This event was open to all women (trans, intersex, cis) & non-binary and gender non-conforming people**
This workshop provided the opportunity to explore our personal connections to Newcastle, and how the city impacts our daily lives. We mapped the city, making patterns across our personal and temporal geographies of safety and danger, pleasure and discord, our past, present and future worlds. The workshop culminated in a group action, a “Dice Walk” into the city, making our space and taking back our place.
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Hidden Civil War was a month long programme of events and exhibitions across Newcastle upon Tyne that exposed, collated and presented evidence of a Hidden Civil War in Britain today. Hidden Civil War, a collaborative project, commissioned by The NewBridge Project and developed in partnership with East St Arts, Hands on Film Lab, Metal, Paper Rhino, Mark Donne, Taryn Edmonds, Chris Erskine, Julia Heslop, Beth Ramsay, Julie Tomlin, Vicky Ward and Aisha Zia. Hidden Civil War was delivered with the support of partner venues; Cobalt Studios, Tyne Theatre, Summerhill Bowling Club and The Cumberland Arms. Accompanying publication, The Precariat is produced by Paper Rhino.
