Welcome to Direct Design

Desconocida : Unknown is a political art project, devised, organised and performed by the Norwegian textile and performance artist Lise Bjørne Linnert. Through a traditional female activity of embroidery, people globally are invited to engage, protest and show solidarity with the fight against the abuse of women. As an example of this worldwide issue, the critical situation in Juarez, a city on the border of USA and Mexico is the focus of this project. In this city close to 600 women have been found tortured, abused and murdered. Hundreds have disappeared.

So far, in this embroidery project, 1,700 people in 22 countries have participated. Each participant embroiders the name of one murdered woman from Juarez onto a 2cm x 8cm nametag and to remember women worldwide experiencing similar abuse, each participant also embroiders 'unknown' in his or her own language and alphabet.

The exhibition opened on 10 February at the UCA Gallery in Epsom and the book, generously supported by Arctic Paper and Fritt Ord and previewed in Design Week is now available.