In the period from September 1 to December 15, 2026, Lesbian Organisation Rijeka - LORI is implementing a completely different kind of project as part of the Culture in the Community program of the SOLIDARNA Foundation.
Alongside LORI, the project includes: SOS Rijeka – Center for Nonviolence, HKD na Sušaku, and Anita Ladišić, an educator and textile crafter/artist with years of experience in running various community empowerment projects.
About the Project
The aim of the project is to use socially engaged textile art to open up a space for dialogue about gender-based violence, and to empower women through collective creative action and reclaiming public spaces.
The project merges textile art, participatory art practices, and social activism. By utilizing techniques traditionally associated with women, such as crocheting and sewing, the project symbolically restores value to women's labor and lived experiences, bringing them directly into the public sphere.
Yarn bombing (guerrilla knitting/crocheting) as an art practice allows for a non-violent and accessible intervention in public space, while the softness of the textile itself creates a powerful contrast to the harsh theme of violence. Roses in shades of purple become a symbol of resistance, solidarity, and support for gender-based violence survivors.
The project also contributes to preserving somewhat forgotten traditional handicraft skills and fostering intergenerational learning, as participants not only create artistic pieces together but also share their experiences, knowledge, and stories throughout the process.
What Does the Project Aim to Achieve?
- raise awareness among citizens about the problem of violence against women and human rights violations
- connect women of different generations through a joint creative process
- preserve and transfer handcraft skills such as crocheting and sewing
- use artistic interventions in public space as a tool for social dialogue and activism
- create a safe space for conversation, support, and exchange of experiences among workshop participants.
Main Project Activities:
- Organising at least 10 intergenerational workshops for crocheting and sewing roses.
- Engaging female citizens of various generations and backgrounds.
- Fostering collaboration between LORI, SOS Rijeka, and the volunteers in culture of HKD na Sušaku.
- Creating textile art installations inspired by the international initiative Roses Against Violence.
- Setting up installations in public spaces across Rijeka during the global campaign "16 Days of Activism" (from November 25 to December 10).
- Documenting the entire process through photo and video content
- Online promotion of the action through social networks and the channels of the organizations participating in the action.
The installations will be made of crocheted roses in shades of purple, accompanied by cards carrying messages of support and statements against violence. Additionally, these cards will display all the essential helpline contacts that women can reach out to in case of violence. The plan is to place the roses at several high-traffic locations in Rijeka to catch the attention of passersby, spark public dialogue, and send a clear, powerful message: you are not alone, and violence is not a private matter.
The project was supported by the SOLIDARNA Foundation through the Culture in the Community program.
