When illustrator Laura Darling answered an advertisement for a receptionist at Dundee International Women's Centre, she was simply looking for a part-time job to help supplement her income as an artist. Three years on, her eye-opening experience has provided the inspiration for her first solo exhibition, which opens at Verdant Works in Dundee this month.
Combining drawing, printmaking and hand lettering, this collection of work centres around fictional narratives inspired by real women living extraordinary lives in Dundee. Amazing, amusing and appalling, the stories highlight the cultural diversity of the city and invite us to question our understanding of what it means to be an immigrant today.
Working at Dundee International Women's Centre introduced Laura to a multitude of unique women from diverse backgrounds, each with a different story to tell. However personal their journey, certain themes within these narratives kept cropping up - the Patterns of Migration.
Speaking about her inspiration for the exhibition, Laura says: "I've learned so much about people, and about women especially. I've heard tales of resilience and sacrifice, of unfairness and inequality, of terrible injustice and incredible fortitude. This exhibition is the result of an almost physical need to get these stories out of my head and into some kind of order - to share what I've learned and hopefully stimulate conversation."
Laura seeks to encourage greater understanding and empathy with her colourful, engaging and at times satirical illustrations. Six Patterns of Migration are explored throughout the gallery at Verdant Works: the language barrier, retaining cultural heritage, negative perceptions of immigrants, social isolation, a sense of un-belonging and the concept of starting over.
"Any one of these themes, or patterns, could have formed the basis of an exhibition, explains Laura. "However, I wanted to represent the multi-layered nature of the subject - to highlight the complexity itself."
Patterns of Migration is the latest collaboration between Dundee International Women's Centre and Verdant Works, a former jute mill turned social history museum and visitor attraction.
Louisa Attaheri, Curator with Dundee Heritage Trust, which operates Verdant Works, says:
"We are delighted to host Laura's first solo exhibition at Verdant Works. Blended communities and resilient women are already woven into the fabric of Dundee's history, and this exhibition links closely with the jute trade, where migrant workers from Ireland arrived in Dundee in their thousands at end of the 19th century. With women and children deemed most suitable for weaving, the men often stayed at home as ‘kettle bilers' and this matriarchal society earned Dundee the nickname ‘She Town.' "
Integration for migrant women in Dundee today can be more much more difficult, and Laura shares examples of women who have remained isolated in their house for years before getting to know anyone, those who fear sidelong glances when walking the streets in their cultural dress and who dread being asked: "Where are you from?"
In the tradition of women supporting women, Dundee International Women's Centre helps provide educational, recreational and social activities for black, minority and ethnic women of all ages, from over sixty countries. The centre also offers employment training, information and advice services to help women achieve their personal goals and feel valued as part of Dundee's diverse community.
"I love that there are days when I can walk the ten minutes to work and not hear anyone speaking English," says Laura. "It's all part of the creative tapestry of our city. As an illustrator, I feel it's important to capture and share these remarkable stories of achievement and adversity in this exhibition. I invite people to engage with these stories on a personal level - to challenge themselves by asking one question: "What if that was me?"
When: 31 March - 24 June 2018. Open to all ages.
Where: Verdant Works, West Henderson's Wynd, Dundee DD1 5BT
Cost: Included in admission to Verdant Works
For more information, visit www.verdantworks.com
Dundee International Women's Centre
DIWC has over 40 years of experience supporting the advancement of women who are socially isolated or marginalized.
