I dyed some silk, using rust and tea. I then hand embroidered the piece using Oliver Twist Threads.
Most of my pieces for the exhibition have been inspired by millard lowe's poem
'ON THE WAVES OF LOST MEMORIES'.
This I found on www.poetrysoup.com
These salted memories tell stories
The oceans and seas gave birth to.
Over the tempestuous waters
Echoes from the bellies of slave ships
Ride the tides of history
Spreading ripples over the shores
Of time proclaiming forgiveness
For lost souls.
We sashay along the bleached beaches
Where white sands mask the shed blood;
And splashing waves drown out
The ghost echoes of rattling chains
We no longer remember
Our beginnings here.
The poem really conveys how I felt whilst walking along the beach at Sunderland Point, to visit Sambo's grave. It's isolation, with views across the sea, means it places visitors at the point of arrival and departure for the ships which had taken part in the slave trade. For a while, a pleasurable walk is interrupted by the chill reminder of more sinister comings and goings which international trade has fostered?
