Projects

The Sea Cat runs 'The Womb Tomb'- an interactive, theatrical  venue where our collective- 'The Period Vampires' drain festival goers of their moon blood and supply them with totally free period products, care and pain relief, along with a menstrual cup wash.

In the silliest way possible, we are normalising the conversation and breaking stigmas and educating people through menstrual activism. Whether you’re a bleeder, bleeding, expecting your first period or have had your last, we are here to make your festivals and events more enjoyable and have a bloody good laugh with our games and rituals. We cater for all ages and stages of the cycle, including menopause, with something to help everyone.

We bring menstruation out of the shadows and into the spotlight, ensuring it is seen, heard, and respected at every event. To achieve this we work with amazing charities and companies like Irise, Bloody Good Period, Days 4 Girls, Hey girls and Pads on a roll who support us through donations of single use and reusable products and educational materials.

You can find out more about the vampires here.

On the night of the 19th of August 2020 I had abdominal surgery (a bowel resection). After years of chronic pain and being told it was all in my head, my bowel exploded. It was a very difficult time for me, I kept thinking 'If I've got to go through all this I better make something of the experience', so I started creating 'My  Life in Stitches'.

During those years, I had a terrible time with the way doctors spoke to me and dismissed my problems as 'period pain' etc., trying to prescribe me all sort of mediation  to subside the pain without addressing the issue. In 2020 the pain got so unbearable that I had to call an ambulance, again I went into hospital for tests and scans and came home with nothing. Later that week I had to call another ambulance, the 2 paramedics that came to see me treat me as if I was making it up after seeing in my notes that I had already been in that week and nothing was found. Luckily, I called just in time as I could have lost my life. I was taken in for a CT scan which showed that I had a Meckles Diverticulum (an extra pocket of bowel) which had been getting irritated and inflamed and eventually burst. I was quickly taken for surgery to have the section of bowel removed and be stitched back up. Recovery time was long and difficult due to a lot of muscles and things being cut in half and left a very large scar.  Due to the covid 19 restrictions I was not allowed any visitors while I was stuck in hospital and I had lost one of my closest friends a few days before. 

I find the process of embroidery so therapeutic, I often practice mindfulness as I stitch, I use it as a way to manage my pain and intrusive thoughts. It helped me massivley during my recovery as it was one of the only things I was really able to do. Sewing is not just an important skill for me but the whole world for as long as we can remember, it is used to create and fix items, commemorate history and even save lives. Stitches are everywhere! Although they are a common thing, scars (often created by stitches) are not often shown in mainstream media so people believe that they are ugly, which is simply not true. Women are often encouraged to cover their scars or use products in hope of removing them but in my eyes they are something to behold, they tell a story and set you apart from the crowd, they are interesting. I have a rather large scar left where I was stitched back together after the surgery in a rather intimate place and it will always remind me that I’m stronger than I think

There is an ancient Japanese artform called ‘Kintsugi’ in which they repair broken pottery by filling the cracks with gold and sticking them back together, therefor prolonging the life of the item whilst making it more beautiful. After the op I thought about Kintsugi a lot and my head flooded with ideas, I wanted to create something that reflected my experience, me and the many others (mostly women) who have gone through similar and have now done so through the medium of embroidery. I ended up getting a pot tattooed around my scar, the scar acting as the gold to fix it.

I have hand stitched each unique body with a scar with my own in the middle, they are stitched together to show how important it is that we stick together and help each other through our struggles as we are stronger together. The messy stitches show that my life may seem together but under the surface, there is a lot more going on. This will serve to me and others as a lasting reminder to me and I hope others of how beautiful our bodies and stitches really are. 

It was essential to me to portray real women who get dismissed by doctors (that includes trans women!). To do this, I collected images from women I know and made one of my own body on tartan fabric (a personal favourite).

I also created a cabaret show to go with this project (photos above). This gorelesque routine starts of as traditional beautiful burlesque, but as I strip down I start to feel intense pain and my (fake) stomach explodes with blood and guts all over the stage, I scramble to put them back in and sew myself back together before the finally.

The next steps from here are to record a video talking about my experience with photos of the stages and the cabaret show. I want to also take this to museums and galleries and hold open discussions with people to highlight invisible illnesses.

This flag is inspired by the quote “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” from Hamlet (Shakespeare), meaning; someone avows so much that they loose credibility. I have taken and tweaked that quote and addressed my own meaning to it, sexism is routed in this quote (not by Shakespeare himself but the character that is reflective of the time).

During the middle ages, women were being tortured and burnt at the stake for things that should be celebrated, they were not allowed to receive proper education and were not praised for their achievements outside of ‘household life’. Throughout history there have been women protesting the inequalities we face; a great example of a medieval protestor is Joan of arc who was tragically burnt for the simple act of wearing ‘men’s clothing’. We must always remember these courageous women and the battles they fought, we must keep on fighting, this flag was made to symbolise this ongoing battle.

The suffragettes were the driving force to the women getting the vote here so I wanted to include their theme too as they are a constant inspiration to me in many ways, especially in the way they protest. 

The flag is Medieval themed, accurate to the time that Shakespeare would have written Hamlet, made from upcycled materials.

During my time volunteering at the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester, I ran a feminist embroidery workshop at the drop in sessions for the women to join in for fun and keep them busy and relaxed if they were waiting for help. I would teach them the basics of embroidery and we would stitch feminist quotes together as I would teach them the history of the Pankhurst's in the movement for the women's vote and how they used embroidery to create impactful banners used in their protests. The Pankhurst Centre is a museum dedicated to them and also acts a women's aid hub. The women found the embroidery a good way to relieve anxiety and get chatting to the others around them also seeking support.

These are a few of the pieces I made whilst teaching. It was very rewarding work and I met some incredible people. It was an honour to create protest textiles in the same space the Pankhursts made theirs over 100 years ago.

From the Tiny Pricks Project website: Tiny Pricks is a public art project created and curated by Diana Weymar. Contributors from around the world are stitching Donald Trump’s words into textiles, creating the material record of his presidency and of the movement against it. Tiny Pricks Project holds a creative space in a tumultuous political climate. The collection counterbalances the impermanence of Twitter and other social media, and Trump’s statements as president through the use of textiles that embody warmth, craft, permanence, civility, and a shared history. The daintiness and integrity of each piece stand in stark contrast to his presidency.

The project now tours art galleries. These were my submissions all directly quoted from Trump. The last one is him trying to say Venezuela.