Women on the Move - film and afterword

Women on the Move has been funded by the European Research Council as part of the Politics of Patents project led by Dr Kat Jungnickel (Goldsmiths, University of London) and brought to life by The Adventure Syndicate. This energetic film from The Adventure Syndicate showcases the creativity of women from the 1890s-1940s who invented clothing which enabled them to be sporty and active at a time when social norms, and especially their clothing in this case, inhibited them. Along with Aneela McKenna of Mor Diversity we have reimagined the fun these women will have had pushing boundaries, and the palpable energy that comes when women get together in the outdoors. Kat wrote: Women and girls have always been sporty and active, but they’ve had to work around significant barriers to their freedom of movement. In addition to being hampered by negative social attitudes, even when women carved out ways to participate in sports, they rarely had the appropriate things to wear because they’ve seldom been the focus of sportswear manufacturers. We looked for stories hidden from history, hidden in the archive, and hidden in the garment itself and we were amazed by the results. You can read more about this research project in Kat’s latest open access article : We’re delighted to launch this film on International Women’s Day 2023 and make it open access for all to enjoy and spark conversation and debate about the barriers women have faced and still face to being active. This was filmed and edited by Oxford Atelier: