Glasgow exhibition to reveal untold stories of migration and asylum

Part of Refugee Festival Scotland, Glasgow Anew: Untold Stories and Transnational Perspectives is the first exhibition of the Settled In Glasgow Oral History Archive (SIGOHA).

Glasgow Anew runs from June 11 - 26 at the Pipe Factory in the Barras as the gallery’s re-opening show. The exhibition, which is entirely financed by crowdfunding, is curated by Jessie Lawson & Alasdair Campbell. It features a mix of photographs, recordings and personal objects from people who have moved to the city, exploring issues of nationality, identity, prejudice and what it takes to call Glasgow ‘home’.

A series of diverse workshops and events produced by participants in the SIGOHA project will also run across the fortnight, from a discussion on detention centres to a Mindfulness workshop.

Jessie Lawson, founder of the SIGOHA project, said: “Glasgow Anew seeks to democratise history: to give normal people the opportunity to tell their own story and influence how history will represent them.”

Alasdair Campbell, co-curator of Glasgow Anew, added: “It empowers the participants as storytellers. Recordings about their lives are played in their entirety, unedited, and personal objects such as sand from Robben Island or asylum documents both illuminate the incredible personal narratives of the participants and provide a window into the recent history of countries around the world. Meanwhile, shared ownership of the gallery with the participants themselves through film screenings, theatre and musical performances will help encourage dialogue and an exchange of transnational perspectives across the fortnight.”

Glasgow Anew launches with a special event on 11th June at 8pm. For more information on the exhibition and a full programme of events in the space, visit the event’s Facebook page or website.