Makers in the Light | International Women’s Day 2024
In distillery, our core team is led by women. However, we are an exception: our world is still undeniably male-dominated, too many female trailblazers forgotten.
On International Women’s Day 2024, we shine a light on 8 female creatives who didn’t make history in their time.
What’s our challenge?
What are the main problems women face internationally? The pink tax, unpaid childcare, the glass ceiling… All these obstacles make our routines more difficult, and the right conversations aren’t really happening. But are there larger issues we need to address?
Many women feel there is a lack of female representation within the media industry: with little heroes to look up to, the main problem seems to be visibility.
At distillery, as part of our action for International Women’s Day, we decided to challenge the lack of female icons by bringing a cohort of 8 female creatives to the spotlight.
This led to the birth of our campaign, Makers in the Light, which uses street art to platform the female makers and writers who are overshadowed by their male counterparts.
Taking it to the streets
We are based at the heart of one of the busiest neighbourhoods of the City of London, with a long history of street art both as a form of subversion and source of connection. Shoreditch seemed like the perfect place to start our journey.
Makers in the Light has filled the area with paste ups championing our cohort of female makers. With an unusually rounded design, they catch the bypassers’ eye.
But what’s a paste up, you might be wondering? It’s a form of street art: ephemeral posters that allow artists to display their work in public spaces without the need of traditional installation practices. At the centre of grassroots movements, it connects with our audience.
Our campaign reaches far beyond East London: we travel around the globe through our makers’ stories. We created QR codes that lead to the campaign’s digital site to expand on our 8 stories.
Through a ‘treasure hunt’ map, we drove audience interaction: the curious bypasser can embark on a quest to find the makers around Brick Lane.
A global campaign
We felt it was essential to find a diverse cast of creatives, culturally relevant throughout the globe.
We decided to shy away from the usual suspects (Frida, we love you, but you are everywhere…) and dived into a fascinating research process that eventually led to our mighty 8.
We are excited to introduce names like Eslanda Goode Robeson, artist and scientist who redefined the world’s view of Africa, taking an interest in her own heritage.
Chen Cheng Mei, a painter who took inspiration from the post-colonial scene in Singapore, takes us to a much-loved location by distillers, where we have one of our offices.
You can play a key part in diversifying the stories we see every day. Head to our very own creative agency, studio d, and discover exceptional, diverse, talent from makers across the world.
