From the collection of
Established in 1992, the South West Film & Television Archive collection spans from 1893 to the present day containing more than 250,000 items. Formed from a variety of depositors, including broadcast news and programmes material from the Westward and TSW archive. In 2018 the archive collection transferred to The Box in Plymouth.
Barbara Hepworth discusses a life of dedication to visual arts.
Barbara Hepworth is interviewed in situ at her Trewyn Studio garden in St Ives. Hepworth visited St Ives in 1939 with husband Ben Nicholson and went on to live there until her death in an accidental fire in 1975. Hepworth believed her childhood in Yorkshire inspired her work as well as a personal life that was to include triumph and tragedy. All shown artworks are the copyright of Bowness. From 1980 the Tate curates the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden.
At the Leeds School of Art Hepworth befriended fellow student Henry Moore and a professional rivalry developed. They received scholarships to the Royal Academy of Art in London where they carved pieces directly experimenting with shapes and materials and returning to primitive forms rooted in nature giving abstract sculpture its popular appeal. Contrapuntal Forms (1950) is a sculpture of double figures in Irish blue limestone made for the 1951 Festival of Britain and later presented to the new town of Harlow in Essex and her bronze statue Single Form (1964) is situated outside the United Nations building in New York. Hepworth and Nicholson co-founded the Penwith Society of Arts at the Castle Inn in 1949.
Meet some of the pioneering women who broke through barriers, forged new paths and made history
This collection celebrates female firsts that span disciplines and centuries, from film, fashion, sports and writing to technology, science, politics and exploration. Shrugging off patronising questions and challenging societal norms, these ambitious women revolutionised their respective fields and shaped history. While one or two figures might be polarising and controversial, and other names forgotten over time, their achievements certainly aren’t.
Some of these women weren’t recognised as pioneers until long after their death, others had their ground-breaking contributions credited to men – or, they were simply ignored. While the glass ceiling still needs smashing, these determined, resourceful and ingenious women chipped and chipped and chipped away, setting precedents to inspire us all.
