DIG WHERE YOU STAND
AN ARCHIVAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT MADE UP OF ARTISTS, ARCHIVISTS, EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY.
In 2021 I became the artist in residence at Sheffield City Archives. The stories I found there set me on this path. To help found and create this organisation, Dig Where You Stand, in order to offer to continue to build on what I found, to share that with other artists and to shine a light on a hidden but impactful communities.
I unearth the untold stories of people of colour living, working and putting down roots in South Yorkshire over hundreds of years.
Black girl at the factory gates, Sheffield, 1901.
‘Our work is largely inspired by Swedish writer Sven Lindqvist, who produced the popular “how to” guide Gräv där du står (or “Dig Where You Stand”) in the 1970s. This guide encouraged and helped everyday working people to explore their own histories. It also gave a name to a growing socialist movement that spread across Europe in the late twentieth century.
In our version of Dig Where You Stand, emphasis is placed on the racial dimension of working class histories. In particular, there is a focus on stories from before 1945. This is to address mainstream narratives about migration in Britain, which suggest that people of colour only came to these shores after World War II. Our work shows that people of colour are deeply embedded in the history of South Yorkshire. This overlooked regional history nuances wider accounts of migration, diaspora and the operation of race and racism in Britain.
We use art and creativity to disrupt the violence and harm in local archives. In this way, the project is also inspired by Saidiya Hartman’s work on ‘critical fabulation’. Hartman demonstrates the power of using creative approaches to address the marginalisation, distortion and erasure of Black and other people of colour in the archive. She also highlights the responsibilities and limitations of doing this work, giving voice to the pain of never being able to fully reconcile the past. This is a fundamental aspect of Dig Where You Stand. We seek to place ourselves amongst the fragments of history and touch, consider and present each piece with tenderness and care.’
https://www.dwys.co.uk/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5w7ve979qo