Part of our Black Chiswick through History project, local Ghanaian British artist, Ayesha Weekes, shares her experience of working with young people to create a collage weaving in past and present Black narratives of Chiswick House & Gardens

As a Ghanaian British visual artist, art educator and youth worker born in Chiswick and growing up on the White City Estate, I felt a connection to the young people and the project title ‘Putting the Colour Back into Chiswick’.

In my job I have the privilege of working with young people who inspire me to look at art and the act of creating from a different perspective, taking me back to a place of not knowing, to be a learner again. I love witnessing young people totally absorbed in their imagination and in the quietness of creation, approaching the process with fresh eyes and ideas, which I believe is great for change and progress in all areas.

Working with young people is so important to me and my practice. The arts give young people the opportunity, not only to take risks and learn new skills, but also to develop their ability to express themselves and realise the uniqueness of their expression. This is particularly important in a world where their voices are seldom heard.

This project added another layer of growth to me as an artist. Walking through Chiswick House and its gardens, I was fascinated to learn about the artefacts in the collection and their history and surprising connections to my own African heritage. This was completely unknown to me and encouraged further exploration. Seeing the objects chosen by the young people, the Caracalla bust, the Moroccan Ambassador, the Medici Vase and the Sphinx was uplifting. To me these objects showed the young people’s conscious decision to focus on the positive, the privilege and the power of Africans and black history instead of the narrative I grew up with, of slavery, poverty, suffering, struggle and oppression.

The use of collage as the artistic medium suited this project since it is a technique which results from the assemblage of different forms to create entirely new visual. These young people worked together ‘Putting the black back into Chiswick’. Their collage brings past and present together to create a new narrative, with the young people themselves included as part of Chiswick House’s future on both a visual and community level, hopefully letting other young people know that Chiswick House is open to all, and that they are a part of it.

In the final artwork, a digital collage of the individual creations, I try to maintain the intricate and detailed layering of the original collage, the words and most importantly the young people themselves. It was paramount not to overwork the digital piece in order to retain its authenticity as this represented the young people’s own personal connections to Chiswick and Chiswick House in particular.

It’s important that these kinds of projects continue, ensuring that young people feel connected to the stories contained in places like Chiswick House. These stories shape their future goals, their aspirations and beliefs. Opening dialogue to question traditional approaches and interpretation, while also giving an opportunity to enhance understanding and offer new ways of viewing. Artefacts, like those at Chiswick, give us a glimpse of a time when race was not a marker of oppression or success, showing that multi-culturalism is not a modern-day idea and that the concept of racial stereotypes and categorisation have not always been the way of the world.

So much is still hidden in British history, and it is brilliant that thanks to the great work of historians like Nadege Forde-Vidal and Raj Pal (who led the Black Chiswick through History project), the narrative is changing. Children and young people now have the fortune of seeing these collections for what they really are and know the real stories behind them.

I am grateful for this new narrative, of a history that is balanced and that gives hope to everyone, not just depicting atrocities, but reflecting the privilege, opportunities and possibilities that have been and can be for young people of the diaspora today.

The collage will be on display in the House until 30 October. Book tickets to visit Thursday-Sunday, 10am-4pm. Members go free.

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