We unearth the untold stories of people of colour living, working and putting down roots in South Yorkshire over hundreds of years.
We do this by exploring archival records, using art and creativity to reimagine the lives contained within them, and sharing this work in public exhibitions.
This project was originally developed by our creative director Désirée Reynolds during her six month residency at Sheffield City Archives in 2021.
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Désirée ReynoldsOur 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.
Ultimately, by disrupting both historical accounts and processes, we seek to empower racially marginalised groups in the present. This means encouraging people of colour to assert their claim over the archives. Our central message is clear: you have long been here, now come find out for yourselves. Dig Where You Stand.
Core Team
Dig Where You Stand incorporated as a community interest company in 2024. Find out more about five company directors below:
Désirée Reynolds is a writer whose fiction is concerned with working class Black women, internal landscapes and a continuous struggle against the white, male gaze, notions of beauty, race and being. Committed to anti racism and intersectionality, she draws on her experiences of these to make her creative work. Her first novel, Seduce, was published in 2013 to much acclaim by Peepal Tree Press, and her short stories have been widely published in various publications and online. Désirée is the founder of Dig Where You Stand South Yorkshire, following her artist in residency at Sheffield City Archives in 2021. She continues to play a leading role in shaping the organisation's creative and political vision.
Alex Rajinder Mason is deeply passionate about pursuing racial justice through the arts. His work mainly focuses on dismantling structural racism in higher education, having completed a PhD on the topic. Since then, Alex has coordinated various projects and events in Sheffield that platform artists of colour and draw attention to a range of social issues. He now manages the University of Sheffield's Centre For Equity & Inclusion, working with artists, activists, researchers and community groups to develop anti racist processes and policies. Alex supports DWYS to deliver its political mission, as well as managing daily operations, strategy, fundraising and relationship development.
Cheryl Bailey has been the senior archivist at Sheffield City Archives for 17 years. Alongside fellow archivists, she looks after Sheffield’s written heritage which spans back over 800 years. The City Archives is rich in information about Sheffield’s past, but archival silences are present – the unintentional or purposeful absence of documentation which results in gaps meaning we are not always able to represent the past accurately. To address this concern, Cheryl has been working with writer Désirée Reynolds to examine Sheffield’s archival silences, critically question the history we know and determine whose story has not yet been told.
Suzanne Gorman is a Director, Dramaturg and Producer committed to making the arts more inclusive. She is Artistic Director of Maya Productions, a company making theatre, arts and heritage projects that bring together people who want to enable racial justice and social change. Sheffield born and bred, Suzanne is passionate about platforming heritage stories from global majority communities in South Yorkshire. She is excited to join Dig Where You Stand as it continues to unearth important stories and hidden truths from the past that are vital for us to make sense of the present, and to support positive change for the future.
Tchiyiwe Chihana leads African Voices Platform, a content creation company that showcases the diverse and rich stories of African communities across the continent and in the diaspora. She curates and delivers content that is informative, educational, and empowering, through authentic portrayals of African realities and perspectives. Tchiyiwe is a longstanding champion and friend of Dig Where You Stand. She officially started collaborating with the team for the 2024 Biennial before being invited to become a director in 2025.
Friends of DWYS & thank you!
We would not be able to do our work without the love, support and brilliance of some trusted friends and collaborators.
