Ribbons (sculpture)


Ribbons is an outdoor sculpture in Leeds, England, by Pippa Hale, which was unveiled on 11 October 2024. Shaped like entwined ribbons, this corten steel sculpture celebrates and commemorates the achievements of women in Leeds, by featuring the names of 383 women nominated by the public. This goes some way to redressing the gender imbalance in public art in Leeds.

Background

The project was begun by Rachel Reeves, MP for Leeds West, who instigated a partnership between Leeds Arts University, Leeds City College and Leeds City Council to create a new public artwork that featured women. Former leader of Leeds City Council, Judith Blake, was a key proponent of the project.
In 2019 four artists – Wendy Briggs, Pippa Hale, Zsófia Jakab and Briony Marshall – were shortlisted after an open call. The four created maquettes which were then exhibited at Leeds Arts University, where members of the public could view them and contribute feedback. This consultation was included in the decision-making process by a panel of judges, including Reeves, to choose the winning sculptor. The chosen artist was Hale, who described her proposal for the sculpture as: "Ribbons tie many parts together, so the idea is that we are binding the names of these women together over time and space in a celebration of womanhood."
The women who feature on the sculpture were nominated by public vote, which opened in October 2019. People were encouraged to put forward both famous women from Leeds, and also women whose everyday actions made a difference to the lives of those in their communities.

Description

The sculpture is situated in outdoor space between Leeds Playhouse and Leeds City College's Quarry Hill campus. At tall, it comprises five corten steel ribbons, with women's names cut into them. The names are in sans-serif capital letters without any titles or honorifics, and are arranged randomly. They represent 383 women from Leeds who were nominated to feature in the sculpture.

Construction

The firms involved in constructing the sculpture included Fish Fabrications, Norwich; Skyhooks Engineering, Wakefield; and the Fereday Cylinder Company, Dudley.

Reception

In 2020 Leeds City Council commissioned a review into its public art, which highlighted the lack of diversity in public sculpture. The review was led by Alison Lowe. Ribbons was highlighted as an important part of the process to redress the gender imbalance in public art in the city. At its unveiling Rachel Reeves said that it is "a chance to honour inspiring women from all walks of life, and celebrate the achievements of the many women who have made Leeds the wonderful city it is today".

Selected women who feature

The full list of the 383 women featured, with biographical details and, in most cases, images, is published on the project's website.