Senate Women

Senate Women tells the stories of remarkable women working in the University of London’s iconic Senate House. Their accounts of everyday activism range from professional risks to childhood memories: being a feminist in the heavy metal scene, quitting jobs without a firm plan, and playing a stork in a school play.

Senate Women was an audio-visual installation originally created for the 2018 Bloomsbury Festival, supported by the University of London's Leading Women campaign. During the festival, interviews conducted by theatre director Patrick Sandford and producer Elizabeth Dearnley played in 7-minute loops from the windows of Senate House's stately ceremonial stairs. Sitting in the window bays, listeners could stop and listen to each woman telling her story, while hearing echoes of the others whispering around them.

Created for International Women’s Day 2019, this virtual installation shares these stories, reflecting the energy and determination of women from across the Senate House community.