The term ‘diaspora’ has evolved in the fields of both art and design, and is often cited in discussions of identity. Existing artistic explorations are reflections on diverse experiences of culture and identification, and express alternative narratives. They challenge the conventional structures of established thoughts and stimulate the need to further augment our understanding.

The multiplatform event ‘Diasporic Bodies’ brings together a group of artists from the Department of Visual Arts at Western University, London, Canada, and design researchers from the Body and Space Research Lab at the Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, Sweden. The artistic outputs focus on similarities between cultures, explorations of artefacts with connotations of cultural translation involving active processes of identification in terms of how materials and expressions are used to create relational aesthetics, and alternative approaches to modernity.

The works, which have been produced by artists and researchers from both Western University and the University of Borås, were exhibited at the Cohen Commons at the Department of Visual Arts at Western University in January 2024, and are accompanied by a catalogue documenting the research and artistic outputs. A series of workshops and talks will be held at Western University in conjunction with the exhibition.