Traces: Stories of Migration - Catalogue
This illustrated publication presents the creative outcomes of the ‘Traces: Stories of Migration’, a practice-led project by visual artist and Professor Lucy Orta. Critical essays by Camilla Palestra and Caroline Stevenson reflect on the context and process.
Between 2021 and 2023 Lucy Orta led a programme of collaborative workshops with residents in East London focused on storytelling and textile heritage, using the mediums of cloth and stitch as a common language through which multigenerational migration histories take form. Seventy-seven participants took part and created personal ‘Story Cloths’ in response to the process. The locally rooted activities, the uncovering of person stories, and traditional textile heritage inspired numerous outcomes using a range of textile-crafts that reflect the unique characteristics of each person involved. This publication pays tribute to the inclusive and collaborative ethos of ‘Traces: Stories of Migration’.
The portraits are expressive and inclusive, recognising a myriad of trajectories through life and the diversity of peoples’ lived experiences. This publication includes a selection of creative outcomes over the two-years engagement process that celebrate and pay tribute to the generosity and collaborative experience of Traces: Stories of Migration.