How to create a Silent Witness Silhouette
Silent Witness Silhouettes are sacred memorials of women who were murdered by their partners and ex-partners. The creation of each Silhouette is initiated and undertaken by community members in close partnership with Silent Witness Nova Scotia and the victim’s family members.
To maintain the spirit of community involvement and awareness, the construction and sourcing of materials is completed by the community members who undertake the creation of the Silhouette. This is an excellent opportunity for hands-on involvement in raising awareness of domestic violence for all those who participate.
Step 1: Choose a woman to honour
The first step in creating a Silhouette is to select a woman to honour who was killed by her intimate partner in Nova Scotia.
Visit our Women We Honour page for a full list of women who died because of domestic violence in Nova Scotia since 1990. You will find a map of where each woman lived when she died, her story if it is available and whether or not she already is honoured with a Silhouette.
Does the woman you wish to honour already have a dedicated Silhouette? Consider placing a Barb’s Bench in her honour.
Step 2: Contact us
Once you have selected the woman you wish to honour with a Silhouette, please send us the following information:
- Your name and the organization you belong to
- The woman you wish to honour with a Silhouette
- Your contact details including your phone number
Step 3: Wait for our response and further instruction
After we receive your request to create a Silhouette, there is an initial process that we at Silent Witness abide by. This includes respectfully contacting the family of the domestic homicide victim to be honoured.
If you do not know the family of the woman who will be represented with the Silhouette you are creating, please do not reach out to them – we ask that you leave the initial communication with the family to us.
Step 4: Receive Silhouette templates and construction materials list from us
Once we get the go-ahead from the victim’s family, it is time to get the creation of the Silhouette underway!
We will send you Silhouette templates, there are 3 to choose from which can be reversed. Please keep in mind the woman’s family may have decided which Silhouette template to use.
Next, source the building materials for the Silhouette and accompanying shield that will be affixed to her chest. Some hardware stores may be willing to donate materials once they learn what they are for.
We will provide you with a list of building materials and instructions and are happy to help you source the materials needed.
Step 5: Construct the Silhouette
We will assist you in constructing the Silhouette. Invite members of your community or organization to take part – this can be a powerful uniting experience.
Step 6: Help plan the dedication ceremony
A dedication ceremony is a fitting way to bring community members, Silent Witness and family members of the victim once the Silhouette is complete. It signifies the Silhouette being adopted into our traveling exhibit.
Depending on the specifics of the woman the Silhouette is representing, the dedication ceremony may be closed and by invitation only. In other cases, the dedication ceremonies are an open invitation for everyone.
Stories of Silhouette creations
Remember Me Silhouette – Silent Witness Nova Scotia
The Remember Me Silhouette is created by each new Chapter so members can understand the construction process.
The organizing committee decided to build their Silhouette in the workshop of the then chair Dolly Mosher. “My husband was not keen on a group of women taking over his workshop,” says Mosher when remembering that cold day in November of 2004. “But he lit the wood stove and we drove to the local hardware store to purchase the materials.”
Once the silhouette image was traced onto the sheet of plywood the group was pretty happy with their work so far. “Then we were kind of stumped with which saw to use, he had so many!” she says. “Since he was hovering outside we asked him to come in and cut it out for us. The plywood became ‘she’ once the cutting began. She had an arm and a head and a leg, and when he was finished a hush came over the room and I have to admit there were tears.”
For the rest of that day the group sanded and stained, sanded and stained and soon the day came to an end. For the next three days, Murray (Dolly’s husband) would light the wood stove early in the morning and sanded and painted coat after coat until the Silhouette was finally ready for the first presentation.
“I was very concerned the day we were taking her as she has a bit of a blemish in the wood on her face. But Murray quickly reminded me that no one is perfect and we all have our imperfections.”
Silhouette of Marie Desmond – Halifax Regional Police Victim Services
Victim Services of Halifax Regional Police created a red Silhouette in honour of Marie Desmond.
