A new art installation at the Ladysmith Gallery will offer an intimate and immersive look at the psychological toll of war on women. My Name is Margaret: War, Madness & Recovery, created by writer and artist Debbie Marshall and presented by Ladysmith Arts, runs from March 21 to 30.
Blending history and imagination, the exhibit follows Margaret Chaloner, a fictionalized character inspired by real-life accounts of women who lived through the Second World War and its aftermath. Using miniatures, vintage ephemera and intricate dioramas, Marshall reconstructs Margaret’s world, a domestic space filled with ration books, cookery guides, needlework and black-and-white figures cut from old photographs. The work explores themes of trauma, resilience and the often-overlooked struggles women faced when the war ended.
The exhibit poses the question: what happens to heroes when they’re no longer needed?
“Women’s experiences are often overlooked in history, but this allows me to fill in the gaps,” said Marshall.
The installation transforms everyday objects — embroidered cushions, diary entries, and household items — into artifacts of memory and survival. Dollhouse-like rooms, complete with hand-stitched textiles and carefully placed relics, create a world that is at once nostalgic and unsettling.
Marshall, a journalist, playwright and visual artist, has contributed to national and local publications. She is the author of Give Your Other Vote to the Sister: A Woman’s Journey into the Great War, Firing Lines: Three Canadian Women Write the First World War, and Her Voice, Her Century: Four Plays about Daring Women.
Marshall works from her studio in Ladysmith.
The exhibit will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ladysmith Galley, 32 High St.
Marshall will be onsite every day to speak with visitors and will host artist talks on March 29 at noon and 2 p.m.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content
