A Sikh Face in Ireland travels to Derry
Published: Thursday, March 24, 2011
Following a hugely successful three-month run at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin in 2010, the photographic and life history project, A Sikh Face in Ireland, continues its journey around the island of Ireland, and opened at the Tower Museum in Derry on Thursday 24 March at 10am. The Mayor of Derry, Councillor Colum Eastwood, will officially launch the exhibition at the Tower Museum on Wednesday 30 March.
This multimedia exhibition is produced and supported by FOMACS (Forum on Migration and Communications), members of the Irish Sikh Council, in collaboration with photographer/oral historian, Dr Glenn Jordan, and researcher, Satwinder Singh. The project has been defined in the context of a conversation with members of the Irish Sikh Council and FOMACS as a contribution to anti‐racist education and transcultural understanding.
A Sikh Face in Ireland is the first systematic exploration of the Sikh presence on the island of Ireland providing both a profile of the present and a social and cultural history of Sikh immigrants and their descendants. The exhibition illustrates that 'being a Sikh' is not a homogeneous experience; that people from similar backgrounds may live their identities in different ways. More generally, it explores the lived experiences and narratives of people often perceived as 'Other' by members of the general public.
A series of activities, originally designed in collaboration with the Chester Beatty Library, builds on different objects in the exhibition: photographic portraits accompanied by life stories; a short film, How to Tie a Turban; a photographic and sound installation featuring contemporary Sikh musicians, photographs, and extensive life stories in English and Punjabi; in addition to public education workshops.
The exhibition will coincide with 'Community Relations Week' in Derry, 23-28 May.
For further details please contact the Tower Museum Derry.
T : 028 7137 2411
E : museums@derrycity.gov.uk
W : www.derrycity.gov.uk/museums