News / violence against women and girls
Red dresses hung in Bristol park to highlight gender-based violence
An installation of red dresses has been displayed to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.
Red Dress Crafters hung hand-crafted clothes in the trees of St George’s Park on Tuesday, each honouring a life or lives that has been lost in gender-based violence.
The ‘Raising the Red’ installation is aimed to show solidarity for these women and girls, echoing the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The installation aims to show solidarity for murder victims around the world
The ‘craftivist’ group has been “raising the red” in various locations around Bristol since 2024, including installations at Fishponds Park and College Green.
Ros Martin, the artist behind the project, told Bristol24/7 that she hopes the park display can “trigger people to have the necessary conversations, and to bring people together to realise that something has to be done.”
The Red Dress Crafters hope to open up more conversations about violence against women and girls
Each item of clothing has been crafted by volunteers in the group, commemorating women and children from both Bristol and around the world that have been murdered.
The United Nations campaign states that, on average, one woman or girl is killed every ten minutes by their own family.
Caroline, a crafter who volunteers for the group, said that not enough is being done to raise awareness of the scale of the problem.
The dresses in St George Park, she said, are merely representative of a wider issue.
Crafter Caroline’s piece was dedicated to the mothers and surviving families of gender-based murder victims
“There are so many names that we don’t even know,” she said. “These are just a few that we do.”
The dresses will be in place until December 10, coinciding with a global call for sixteen days of activism to end violence against women and girls.
All photos: Susie Long
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