Peterloo

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 10 Sep 2019

This mural, entitled Peterloo. emblazons one of the exterior walls of the People’s History Museum in Manchester, overlooking the River Irwell. It is by international street artist Axel Void and was commissioned to mark the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterloo_Massacre . Void has depicted a mother and child, symbolising those who came to St Peter’s Field to seek the rights of representation. His work explores the historical event from the perspective of those involved, asking, if this happened in our time, who would these people be now and what would they be fighting for? The mother and child are Manchester resident Lydia and her two year old son, Ezra. As a daughter of a Windrush victim, the experiences of her family provide a counterpoint to the injustices of the past. The first victim of Peterloo was a two year old child, thrust from his mother’s arms as she fled the soldiers, making the depiction of a mother and child a poignant reminder of some of the 18 lives that were lost on 16 August 1819 when the peaceful protest turned into a massacre. Lydia and her son’s white clothes are a reference to the fact that many of the women who came to Peterloo wore this colour; their Sunday best clothing being a symbolic repost to the way they had been vilified in the media. https://phm.org.uk/peoples-history-museum-unveils-peterloo-mural/ People’s History Museum

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