Come Dine in Blue

About

Please join us on Saturday the 25h of September, 3-7pm, for the opening of Come Dine in Blue, where hARTslane Gallery is transformed into a Blue and White dining room installation telling stories of identity and belonging, celebrating participation in the arts during Lewisham Borough of Culture. More than 100 participants of all ages, from 8 different Lewisham based community groups took part in a year-long art programme aiming to investigate and bring to light the diversity of cultural heritage in Lewisham, giving voice to five different communities of people who left their country to find new homes in the UK: the Asian and the Latin-American communities of New Cross; first and third generation African and Afro-Caribbean Lewisham residents and Middle Eastern refugees.

Part of We Are Lewisham, Lewisham London Borough of Culture 2022.

The programme of creative workshops was led by artist Tisna Westerhof and curated by Cristiana Bottigella, in collaboration with South East London based artists and art facilitators: Amanda Holiday, Rain Wu, Mary McInerney and Carla Thomas. The exhibition also features artists: Frederoca Agbah, Nadina Ali, Clive Burton, Kai Christodulou-lee, WhittyGordon Projects, Tang Victoria Hoi Yi , Amelia Yang.

The 100 participants engaged in various craft-based activities and learned new creative skills whilst sharing their personal and collective stories and memories of family rituals around food, domestic and national celebrations as well as the challenges of migration and building their home in a new country. The creative workshops varied from creating clay pots, decorating vintage crockery using onglaze enamels and decal transfers, embroidering and textile screen printing, spoken word and collaging extra-large cut outs, quilting, decorating tiles and kiln firing. All the artworks made during the workshops are featured in the Come Dine in Blue exhibition. The gallery will be divided in a dining room and a kitchen presenting The Table of Be-Longing, Two-Towels, The Story Tile of Joy, Messages to Blue, The Women’s Quilt of Pride, The Wish Dish Collection, Lewisham Toile and The Melting Pots.

Partner community organisations:
Refugee Council - Lewisham
Migration Museum
The Confucius Institute at Goldsmiths, University of London
JOY & The Tai-Chi community at All Saints Community Centre
All Saints Church, New Cross
Be Seen Be Heard Youth Forum – Young black artists in Lewisham/SE London aged 16-25
The Latin-American community of Lewisham & SE London
The community of La Placita Mall