THANK YOU – TAPESTRY

Safe Passage

A community tapestry (a symbol of home and safety) created in collaboration with participants of all ages from charities who are part of the This Day ecosystem.

We worked with artist Meera Shakti Osborne to bring together their individual stories and experiences through the lens of migration to create this collective installation.

The process involved hosting two creative workshops for groups of up to 10 participants, which included image making, drawing, talking, writing and sharing a meal. The workshop opened up a safe space for positive reflections, dreams, and sharing things that felt appropriate for the participants around the theme of migration. From the work gathered at the session, Meera then used this to inform the design of the tapestry series.

Questions for the workshop included;

  • What is your favourite food from back home?
  • What do you like to eat here?
  • What do you want to be when you grow up?
  • What are your dreams for the future?
  • What advice would you give someone arriving in the UK tomorrow?

Participants also shared the etymology of their names, discussed their favourite places they remember from home, what places they feel connected to here in the UK, where they feel safe and welcome and what home means to them. All participants received an artpack as a thank you for being part of this project in order to continue their creative practice in the future.

Meera Shakti Osborne is a London-based art practitioner and youth worker, dedicated to collective healing through creative expression. Their work fosters accessibility and confidence in formal education and casual settings alike. Working across sound, digital media, oil paint, zines, breathing, talking, and dancing, their work explores the potential of art as a tool to share stories that might feel sidelined. In recent years Meera has focused on questions around history making, the ethics of collaboration and processes that allow for flexing, glitches and love.

Featured Charities

CITIZENS UK

Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse, and most effective people-powered grassroots alliance. Their mission is to overcome injustice by bringing everyday people and local organisations together to build a better, fairer society.

REFUGEE COUNCIL

The Refugee Council is a leading charity working with refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK. Founded in 1951, following the creation of the UN Refugee Convention, the Council exists to support and empower people who have fled conflict, violence and persecution in order to rebuild their lives in the UK. The Council works with over 13 000 women, men and children each year. They provide crisis advice, mental health counselling and practical support to help people settle and integrate into their new community. The Council works with refugees and their partners to fight for improvements to the asylum protection system.