Belongings

The Arcade, Bush House, King’s College, Strand, London WC2B 4PJ
2nd October – 8th November 2024

BELONGINGS, Susan Aldworth, 2024.Poster photograph:Peter Abrahams. Poster design: valle walkley.

What does it feel like to leave your home forever?

In 1924, Susan Aldworth’s grandmother – Luigia Berni – left the small town of Bardi, in Northern Italy, for a new life in London. She was 23 years old, newly married and carrying a small baby. She was travelling alone. In her small suitcase, alongside basics for her and the baby, was her grandmother’s linen nightdress which got passed down to each generation. In BELONGINGS Aldworth takes you on an immersive journey through the imagined contents of Luigia’s suitcase to re-create her experience of migration. Thirty-five items of antique clothes are hand-embroidered with family photographs, stories and recipes. Suspended in mid-air, they highlight the transitory and emotional nature of an uprooted life.

Today, global migration and forced displacement are at a record high. In the UK, despite a rich history of positive migration impacts, hostile policies and increasing experiences of racism and discrimination have made it difficult for many of the people who migrate or seek sanctuary to feel that they belong. Despite these challenges, migrants and sanctuary seekers contribute to and are immensely enriching to our communities – culturally, educationally, economically, and through their work experiences and skills.

What might Luigia’s story a century ago have in common with those newly arriving today? What does it feel to leave your home forever in 2024? What does it mean to belong in the current moment, for people seeking sanctuary in the UK?

Belongings is part of a collaborative programme of events questioning current anti-immigration narratives and exploring pathways towards belonging with people seeking sanctuary organised in collaboration King’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Helen Bamber Foundation, Royal School of Needlework and A&M Consultancy. It forms part of ‘Lost & Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging’, a new, free programme of arts and ideas, curated by King’s Culture.

The exhibition was first shown as:
EXILE: sono oriunda (I am of Italian descent), at The Hub, National Centre for Craft and Design, Sleaford, Lincolnshire in May 2023.

I inherited my grandmother’s linen nightdress which I have embroidered and printed on to represent her journey. It already carries a unique history as it has been passed from generation to generation and has travelled from Italy to London. It is the perfect object to bring to life this personal story of exile.

Installation of EXILE: sono oriunda (I am of Italian descent) at The Hub, Sleaford, Susan Aldworth, 2023. Photograph by Scott Murray. Half a crown! Embroidery by Connie Williams. Photograph by Scott Murray. “In the war, in winter, I used to wear ice-skating boots without the blades.” Embroidery by Sophie Dinning. Photograph by Scott Murray. The Lord’s Prayer in Italian. Embroidery by Amelia Merrick. Photograph by Scott Murray. On 19 September 1940, a telegram arrived from Giuseppe. “I am well. Don’t worry.” Embroidery by Rebecca Rowan. Photograph by Scott Murray. On 2 July 1940, The Arandora Star set sail from Liverpool to Canada carrying 1500 “enemy aliens”. It was torpedoed by a German submarine .Embroidery by Ibtisam Echchafiki. Photograph by Scott Murray. COLLAR THE LOT! When Mussolini declared war on the Allies on 10 June 1940, Churchill ordered all enemy aliens to be arrested. Embroidery by Molly Murfin. Photograph by Scott Murray. Angelina, Luigia’s favourite niece, was seduced by the local priest, aged 16. She spent the rest of her life in servitude to her family. Embroidery by Megan Ellis. Photograph by Scott Murray. London 1935. Basta ballare was the edict to Luigia from Italy. Embroidery by Fleur Webb. Photograph by Scott Murray. 1924 Luigia travels by boat and train to London with her baby. Embroidery by Rosie Sykes. Photograph by Scott Murray. Luigia Pini’s family at Menoni, the family farm near Bardi, 1923. Embroidery by Cecily Winter. Photograph by Scott Murray. Giuseppe Berni delivering the Ice in Kingston-on -Thames, 1920s. Embroidery by Millie Darnell-Hayes. Photograph by Scott Murray. In 1912, Giuseppe moved to the UK with his uncle and cousin to work on the ice. They returned to Italy in 1915 to fight in World War 1. Embroidery by Christina Chung. Photograph by Scott Murray. Installation shown from the back, EXILE: sono oriunda (I am of Italian descent) at The Hub, Sleaford, Susan Aldworth, 2023. Photograph by Scott Murray. EXILE: sono oriunda (I am of Italian descent), Luigia’s nightdress, Susan Aldworth, hand embroidery and digital print, 2023. Photograph by Peter Abrahams

» Luigia Berni – A short story of Exile