Women auto workers honored with London public sculpture
The UK sculptural landscape has an important new addition—a work honoring the Ford Dagenham sewing machinists whose strike action led to the 1970 Equal Pay Act.
The pair of sculptures by UK artist Ruth Ewan were unveiled this week in Dagenham Green in east London, a new neighborhood development on the site of the former Ford automotive factory. The works are located near the site of the original picket lines close to the Ford car plant which is still operational.
Ewan’s sculptures comprise two boulders split open to reveal bands of color. “The colors used are matched to the paint colors of the cars in production during the respective strike periods—including the iconic Ford Cortina—when the Dagenham plant was a hub of British car manufacturing,” says a statement.
The sculptures, entitled The Dagenham Agates, were commissioned by the non-profit housing association Peabody and the developer Hill Residential Ltd. Adriana Marques, Peabody's assistant director of Cultural Programming and Strategy, said in a statement: “Initiatives and commissions such as this should not be regarded as decorative add-ons, but as essential civic infrastructure.”