Discover the unsung heroes of history – the women of the City of London – in a brand new documentary, #CelebratingCityWomen.
In 2019, the City of London Corporation commissioned research to explore how women from the City’s past are recognised and documented across its archives and collections, as well as its streetscape. The aim was to shine a light on how we have viewed and commemorated the past, while unearthing the stories of individuals and groups who made a positive impact to London, the UK or the wider world.
These hidden histories offer an opportunity to tell a more vivid and balanced story of the City, a place which was built on the achievements and resilience of women of all races whose names are often overlooked or overshadowed by their male counterparts. They also enable us to celebrate a number of pioneering figures who transformed industries and advocated for the rights of their communities.
In 2019, the Guildhall Art Gallery appointed Hannah Starkey as Guildhall Artist-in-Residence. The residency aimed to support an artist in the development of new work created in and about the Square Mile. The theme for the inaugural residency was ‘Celebrating City Women’. Starkey’s images look like spontaneous moments caught on camera, but they are in fact staged, set-up and cast and aim to capture the multicultural, multigenerational nature of women in the City.
Today, Celebrating City Women are proud to launch a short documentary highlighting some of the hidden stories from their research findings and going behind the scenes with Hannah Starkey, sharing her creative process.
Celebrating City Women – The Documentary
Travel back in time and discover the stories of truly remarkable women who subverted gender norms in their era. The stories in this short documentary are told by researchers, curators and artists as we delve into the City of London Corporation’s archives to uncover hidden and lesser-known women throughout history.
Our journey ends in 2020, following photographer Hannah Starkey and going behind the scenes of her creative process – what inspires her and how does she go about shooting these carefully choreographed Mise en Scene. Find out in this new documentary celebrating the diversity of women through the female gaze.
Watch the full documentary below:
WeAreTheCity covers the latest female centric news stories from around the world, focusing on women in business, careers and current affairs. You can find all the latest gender news here.
Don’t forget, you can also follow us via our social media channels for the latest up-to-date gender news. Click to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
