Ribbons

, Mel B and Kay Mellor]]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…

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

The sculpture is situated in outdoor space between Leeds Playhouse and Leeds City College's Quarry Hill campus. At 5 m 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.