Cara’s piece takes the form of a Victorian‑inspired dress, drawing on the domestic aesthetics of the era. She chose this period because it marks a moment when women’s rights began to gain momentum, with early campaigns for education, legal reform and the vote.
During their research, the Story Makers explored archival accounts of women who lived and worked in and around Dragon Hall and King Street. These stories, frequently under‑represented in the historical record, inspired the group’s wider creative responses.
Cara on her inspiration for the piece
There has been a culture, throughout the world, of the mistreatment of women. From the suffragette movement and women like Emily Davison, who died after being knocked down by King George V’s horse in 1913, to the Kurdish women, protesting in Iraq, braiding their hair as a symbol of cultural resistance, to the ongoing fight for women’s reproductive rights across the world.
Whilst exploring the heritage surrounding Dragon Hall and King Street as a volunteer Story Maker, I decided to take my influences from the domestic scene and aestheticism of the Victorian era, where women were expected to be moral, submissive, and dedicated to motherhood. It was within this period that women’s rights began to become more prevalent and campaigning commenced within the areas of education, legal rights, and voting.
When we begin to look at the roles of women in the community, we can start to see that there is a real division that continues to affect society today. There are women who work tirelessly in the community and it is these people that are the backbone of our society. This is what I wanted to explore with my piece ‘Metamorphosis’.
As an artist and writer, I wanted to create a piece that promotes equality, diversity, and is inclusive. When a voice is unheard, this can cause psychological discord and upset; history has many examples of oppression and violence. The structure of the dress speaks to the oppression of the female body, to forced femininity, and to the issues around the female embodied experience, for all women.
Stories do not have to be written in words, and for me, a story can be created through visuals. Stories can also change and evolve, as can we. It is time for us to empower, inspire, and change.
Between the Lines
What untold stories lie buried in the archives of Norwich’s past? Which voices once echoed along King Street and through the yards surrounding Dragon Hall? What chapters of city life have slipped from memory, waiting to be brought to life again for others to experience and enjoy?
Blending historical research with creative practice, the Story Makers spent 12 weeks exploring archival sources and transforming fragments from the past into imaginative, personal and finely crafted pieces. Here, you are invited to encounter what they found: fragments lifted from washing lines and Victorian dresses; river‑soaked poetry; imagined pub conversations; great floods; and cramped yards lost to time and change. Explore their work in our digital collection.
From poems to pamphlets, videos to pop-up books, we invite you to explore their work in our digital collection.
Story Makers is made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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