The Dangerous Pockets Project is a Community Art Collaboration by Paula MacGregor MA.
Paula read a poem called ‘Dangerous Coats’ by Sharon Owens, a light-hearted poem that caught her imagination, and so the Dangerous Pockets Project was born.
She asked people to send her pockets they had made; she threaded them onto red cords and arranged for them to tour England. A red cord was used as it is symbolic of the joining together of women all over the world.
The closing date for entries was at the end of 2019, at which time there were 400 pockets. What started off as a local project ended up as a global one – pockets came from Australia, America, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Spain, and Japan. Many of the pockets arrived with interesting stories, some were very sad and others quite joyful – most of them had important messages to share. The project was launched on International Women’s Day 2019 at Essex University in March, and has been on tour since then. It is currently with us at the Jerwood DanceHouse where it will be until the end of February.
Dangerous Coats by Sharon Owens
Someone clever once said
Women were not allowed pockets
In case they carried leaflets
To spread sedition
Which means unrest
To you and me
A grandiose word
For common sense
Fairness
Kindness
Equality
So ladies, start sewing
Dangerous coats
Made of pockets & sedition
The closing date for entries was at the end of 2019, at which time there were 400 pockets. What started off as a local project ended up global – pockets came from Australia, America, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Spain and Japan. Many of the pockets arrived with interesting stories, some were very sad and others quite joyful – most of them had important messages to share.
The project was launched on International Women’s Day 2019 at Essex University in March, and has been on tour since then. It is currently here with us at the Jerwood Dance House where it will be until the end of February.
