Villages of the Damned. Category D. 'Fragments'

This triptych was inspired by a poem by Sharon Milley called 'Villages of the Damned' which is about the villages in County Durham categorized as Category D Villages. It tells the story of decisions made to demolish these mining villages which were no longer deemed to be of use, the people who lived there and their fight back against these decisions.After reading the poem certain words and lines jumped out to me.

‘black diamonds’
‘risking life and limb’
‘wives toiled at home, struggling to make ends meet’
‘the community was strong’
‘despicable, dilapidated homes’
‘decisions were made to close pits and demolish homes’
‘devastation and destruction’

I am aware of the strong links with mining communities and the development of North Country quilts, especially patchwork quilts. The diamond is a very popular shape to be used in quilt design. Most households owned a quilt, communities came together to make quilts through Quilt clubs and Church fundraisers. Widows of miners kept their families together through making and selling quilts. It was a’Thrift’ craft, with utilitarian qualities, quilts are homemade and keep people warm. Many of the patterns used are also to be found in America.It has been suggested that the Tumbling Block or Tumbling Boxes patchwork pattern based on 3 diamonds may have been used on the Underground railway to signal to slaves when it was time to pack up their boxes and move on.