Each square in this patchwork quilt commemorates the life of a woman who was killed by a current or former partner – 598 of them in England and Wales between 2009 and 2015. It’s a visual representation of the lives lost to domestic violence – something so beautiful that stands for such a dark blot on modern society. Close up, each one is named, reminding us that these women are not statistics, but people.
The Workhouse (one of only a few remaining as visitor attractions today) is the perfect place to host this artwork. As a place of incarceration, the walls are filled with dark stories of the past, yet they seek to encourage visitors to reflect on what ‘care’ in society means both historically and today.