Story: The journey from Nigeria to Sheffield and all the colours in between. Like other lost prizes, wrought by hands and thought. A vivid depiction of Jacqui’s sense of place and landscape.
The recovery: This beautiful ‘found’ tapestry, hidden in our archival senses. Between the Tinsley Towers, her fabric notes and the landscapes that have influenced her, she marks the contributions of unknown Africans who have settled here over centuries. Those people who have uprooted themselves to replant themselves on foreign soil, but remain lost voices in the archives. They have left an indelible mark on the region.
William Jumbo was my starting point. He's mentioned in documents as coming from Africa and there are records of William Jumbo/Jambo from Liberia(baptised 1808) and records of a William Jumbo from Sierra Leone(born 1782) on passenger ships
He's known principally as having lived on the Wicker( homeless) and of dying of apoplexy. William Jumbo was likely not his real name.
He's the fortunate one, there are of other unnamed men from Africa, known only for their deeds or more often misdeeds.
I wanted to give them names.
This piece is reminiscent of a page from a Book of Hours. I did this because many examples of these books form an important record of life in the 15th and 16th centuries. A fitting tribute, I think to those unnamed people, emphasing that they were part of everyday Sheffield life and not some spectacle.
The names are there to be seen if you look;
Olukole- God builds a home
Olarenwaru-Prosperity has extended
Ireoluwa- the blessings of God
Daramola- Join with Prosperity.
