A collaboration between Dundee's international community and Verdant Works museum will be showcased at a celebration on Saturday 19thAugust.
Over the summer Verdant Works, Dundee's social history and jute museum, has been working closely with Dundee International Women's Centre to explore the links between India and the subcontinents and Dundee, via the city's jute industry. Raw jute fibre was first imported into Britain in 1791 by the East India Company which traded in Bengal.
Textile artist Morag Gray and Learning and Audiences Officer Anna Murray began working with the ‘Bazorg' group - which translates as ‘elders' in Urdu - with an art making project last year. The group, who largely comes from India, Calcutta and Pakistan, initially worked with fibres which represented ‘home' - sari silks and jute woven in Dundee. They wove the pieces together and thought about words or place names that meant something to the group. The group worked on this theme by felt making flags which were embellished with words and symbols which represent journeys and think about ‘home'.
This year, the group has worked together to create a book,The Fabric of Dundee. The participants each created a collaged page using a variety of textile printing techniques on Indian papers with personal photographs. Using transfer crayons to draw their own designs onto fabric, stitched embellishments were added to reflect their cultural journey from the Indian subcontinent and beyond.
The project will end with a family-friendly celebration which takes place on Saturday 19 August from 1pm and will showcase the art produced with the Bazorg group. There will also be face painting, sitar music, Indian food, storytelling for children and dance performances and workshop.
Everyone is welcome and all activities are included in the normal admission. Admission entitles you to a free annual pass, meaning visitors can come back to the museum as often as they like for a year.
For further information please contact Anna Murray, Learning and Audiences Officer - 07341127417 or verdantlearning@dundeeheritage.co.uk
