A Patchwork of Strangers

People escaping war and persecution have been welcomed by communities in Norfolk for hundreds of years. From the ‘Strangers’ of the 16th century and the Jewish refugees of the 1930s, to people fleeing Vietnam in the 1970s, the Congolese in the 1990s and the most recent arrivals from Syria, Norfolk has a rich history as a place of sanctuary.

Inspired by the stories of individuals and groups who have sought sanctuary in their county, pupils from two Norwich schools, Avenue Junior School and Hellesdon High School, created individual visual poems out of textiles and mixed media. These were then combined to create a giant wall-hanging in homage to The Strangers – a group of refugees who came to Norwich fleeing religious persecution in the 16th century, and who went on to profoundly shape the city.

The squares designed by Norwich school children, were combined with the colourful handprints of some local refugees and migrants before being assembled into a 2m by 4m wall-hanging and stitched together by a local Group of Sanctuary, The Norfolk Knitters & Stitchers. The wall-hanging was exhibited around Norwich to mark Norfolk Welcomes and Refugee Week 2019 before being divided into three panels and displayed in libraries across the county.

Click here to visit our gallery and to view other locations where the wall-hanging was exhibited.

You can find out more about this creative project by watching the video below, which was produced by Hellesdon High School, in collaboration with BBC Voices.