‘Dig Where You Stand’ – Sheffield Cathedral

Sheffield Cathedral is taking part in a new and ground-breaking art exhibition which sheds light on South Yorkshire’s hidden racial history.

‘Dig where you stand’ – free art exhibition at Sheffield Cathedral

This free exhibition grants access to stories that have been hidden deep within the city’s archive and breathes life into people often reduced to bare facts, figures or silence.

In doing so it intends to re-narrate the North, dispelling the myth of a pure white past glorified in mainstream historical accounts, while demonstrating how deeply rooted people of colour are in the region’s foundations.

‘Dig Where You Stand’ was originally developed by writer and activist Désirée Reynolds during her residency at Sheffield City Archives in 2021.

Using art to navigate the fragments and gaps contained within the archives, Reynolds recovered and reimagined the stories of several local working-class Black and Brown people which were showcased in a series of exhibitions and documented through articles published by Now Then Magazine.

Désirée, who is Creative Director for the exhibition, said:

“Dig Where You Stand isn’t about kings and queens but ordinary people who end up in the archive as fragments of a will, a notice in a newspaper, play bills or a baptism record.

“Black or Brown people and racialised communities have been here for centuries and we want to bring that out.”

The project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and is a collaborative exhibition by 14 artists of colour, all based in South Yorkshire.

Sheffield Cathedral is one of five highly visible public spaces in the city displaying the work which includes painting, poetry, puppetry, soundscapes, film, textiles, and live performance.

The Revd Dr Casey Strine, the Bishop of Sheffield’s Advisor for Inter-Faith Affairs said:

“Sheffield Cathedral is very pleased to be hosting the Dig Where You Stand Biennial. To show these brilliant insights into Sheffield’s often forgotten past alongside the prominent histories preserved in our Cathedral offers a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with people and events that have made this city great.

“I hope this will be the first of many occasions on which we use this historic space in the heart of Sheffield to tell the stories of people of colour that have too frequently been overlooked.”

Profiles of all the artists can be found on the ‘Dig Where You Stand’ website (www.dwys.co.uk) together with information about exhibition venues, accompanying events and workshops.

Dig Where You Stand from Saturday 20 July to Sunday 18 August 2024.