Dates: 19 June – 1 December 2019
Space: COMMONSpace

Sawti: my voice was a project which aimed to raise awareness of mental health issues among women going through the asylum process in the UK and was the result of a collaboration between Mental Health Foundation Scotland with groups of refugee and asylum seeking women.

The women in the group produced a collection of diverse work which included a poetry publication, “You Are the Light”, written in collaboration with poet Leyla Josephine; a series of screen prints, made by participants at Saheliya Glasgow with the Glasgow Print Studio; and a silk wall hanging, made within the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. The exhibition also included a documentary screening, which explored the experiences of three women seeking asylum in Glasgow, made by Felipe Bustos Sierra through his award-winning film production company Debasers Filums.

The artworks were created during a series of workshops with the different groups involved. All sessions were designed to empower participants and increase their wellbeing through practical arts activities. They focused on concepts of mental wellbeing and recovery, causation, stigma, fear and help seeking. The final artworks reflected the individual support systems, hopes, passions and aspirations of the participants.