Lifeline - activation
Date:
2024
Materials:
Lifeline, cotton toile, hand-embroidered cushions, Lifeline zine, embroidery and drawing materials
Dimensions:
An installation of Lifeline objects and engagement materials, various dimensions
Catalogued:
Lifeline, ed. University of the Arts London, 2024 - ISBN 978-1-906908-87-4
Exhibition history:
2024 Refugee Week 2024, V&A, London, UK
Courtesy:
Lucy + Jorge Orta. Photography JC Candanedo
Lifeline are objects crafted in soft calico; a fabric traditionally used to make toiles, or prototype garments. In this sense, 'Lifeline' are unfinished, open-ended prompts to enable discussion and conversations, offering new avenues of thought.
The activation of 'Lifeline' at the V&A Museum during Refugee Week 2024 draws from collaborative workshops undertaken with refugees and asylum seekers to challenge the mainstream narrative that negatively affects individuals and families seeking refuge in the UK and to advocate for a more compassionate future. The result of the workshops came together in a zine expressing through photography and text the challenges they faced on arrival and the opportunities that have helped to rebuild their new life in the UK, which were discussed during the activation.
'Lifeline' is Lucy Orta's response to the advocacy research undertaken as co-investigator on the AHRC funded project Decolonising Fashion and Textiles: Design for Cultural Sustainability with Refugee Communities. A participatory action research project exploring concepts of cultural sustainability and community resilience through the lived experience of refugees and asylum seekers. With the support of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.