Devil’s Porridge: Health of a Munitions Worker

This reimagined munition’s worker uniform was commissioned by the Devil’s Porridge Museum as part of their Disability: Past and Present exhibition. Responding to the history of munitions workers and disability on the Solway Coast, the three-piece uniform’s design contains a hazy collage of archival photographs, patterns of ‘contraband’ objects, and portraiture of Agnes Gardiner, a disabled worker who became a complex propaganda symbol. Yellow tones feature prominently, mirroring the toxic effects of cordite exposure, which turned many of the workers’ hair, skin, and teeth yellow.

Display: The Devil’s Porridge Museum

Documentation: Eden Hawkins