Art-Activism for Survive

To raise awareness and funds for victim-support charity Survive.

 

“Make My Mark / One Year in North Yorkshire” 

A creative representation to show the prevalence of sexual violence in our community and the long-term impact of rape and sexual assault. 

An on-going multi-media artwork to highlight an issue that’s often unseen, down-played, or only represented as a mass of impersonal statistics. The project aims to honour and give voice to survivors, raise awareness and funds for victim-support services (especially SURVIVE) and encourage community dialogue to foster prevention.

The project is a reworking of Suzanne Lacy’s groundbreaking 1977 feminist artwork “Three Weeks in May”, which brought to and real change in the handling of rape and sexual assault in the US.

Led by Lucy Churchill, ‘Make My Mark’ is a group project comprising of a graphically annotated map, a hand-made book of personal testimonies + supporting data, and a short film incorporating images, sounds and spoken words.

It will be presented at York City Screen on 26 October 2025, and thereafter be available to show in galleries, film events, and at victim support service presentations.  Get in touch if you want to show this artwork.

Creative Process

Participants at the event in York in May 2025 used publicly available police data to mark 1,436 stamps on a map of North Yorkshire (randomised for Data Protection). This symbolically recorded the number of reported incidents of sexual violence across the region between October 2023 to September 2024: 668 rapes / 768 sexual assaults (almost 4 attacks reported daily).
This art-activism is a gesture of acknowledgement – of the unknown victims who suffered in this location during this timeframe and the thousands of victims elsewhere – whose life-changing experiences aren’t recorded or given legal recognition in court though the effect of this silencing  on individuals and the wider community is often brutal and long-reaching.
Make My Mark is a coming together to share and listen to stories, to gain understanding and heal through being heard,  a chance to collectively bring about the change we want to see in society.

Specifics

  • Custom-made rubber stamps and ink were used to pinpoint every reported rape and sexual assault.
  • To ensure an accurate representation of the data, every stamp on the map was recorded on a tally-counter and listed as a number in a type-written report. 
  • Details of the map marking process were filmed.
  • People were invited (at the event or on-line via social media) to contribute their thoughts in written format and voice recording. Many found it to be a deeply cathartic to recount events from their own life, or that of their friends and loved ones.
  • These personal testimonies will be incorporated into a hand-made book and short film to accompany the map as the final artwork.
  • See supporting data for this project
  • See my Instagram page for photos of Make My Mark activity at Thin Ice Press on the 11 May

Creative Team 

This small group of York-based friends are working collaboratively with the local community and with on-line contributions from around the world:

Lucy Churchill – Artist, Concept Author and Co-ordinator
Sam Mills – Artist, Concept Manager, Counselling Advice
John Beecroft – Cinematography
Ben Eyes – Sound Composition
Daniel Jeffares – Data Representation, Data Protection Advisor
Catherine May – Typist & Group Secretary
Pip White – Book Design and Typography
Jay Allsopp – Textile Art and Bookbinder
Kat Jeffares – Film Assistant
Katherine Loverock – Counselling Advice
Maggie Stirk – Graphics Advisor
Kerry Harker – Data Protection Advice

Supported by:

This project was made possible due to Lucy’s Arts Council Development Grant. With many thanks to Thin Ice Press for use of their printing workshop, advice and general goodwill and encouragement.