A new art exhibition in Sheffield has helped to bridge the gap between different cultures and communities.
‘Blurring the edges in Rotheram’ is an interactive art piece on Rockingham lane that was introduced in response to reports finding cultural boundaries in Rotheram.
Uzma Rani, a visual artist from Rotheram, said: “The boundaries mainly relate to cultural differences and that has had an impact on their way of life.
“So we wanted to make the statistics something people can connect with and respond to without looking at numbers.”
The research by the University of Sheffield found that there were several ‘divides’, in communities and that this had caused conflict.
Lora Krasteva, performance artist and visual producer from Sheffield, said: “You can also really feel the divide. On one side there would be a new, nice park with children playing.
“On the other side, it’s derelict and run down, including the living space and its difference shows how one receives more support and funding then the other.”
The exhibition was inspired by a performance by Ms Rani and Ms Krasteva, first performed in 2018
The production showed the two having a conversation on their different cultures and finding how much they have in common.
Ms Krasteva said: “We want people to go, “huh,” and then go on with their day thinking about where they live and the cultural boundaries that might be there.”
As part of the exhibition, Ms Rani also had four art pieces to demonstrate the cultural differences, with two being on show while the others were online.
Two of the pieces represented a rose, representing English culture and a jasmine flower, representing her Pakistani culture.
Ms Rani said: “These pieces represent that if you create an environment for both communities, people can thrive. In essence, the pieces represent parts of me.”
The pair’s main aim was to raise awareness within the government and politicians and bring about change to communities.
Ms Krasteva said: “We always invite councils over as while they might be aware of the boundaries, the art helps them visualise how big it is.”
The exhibition is part of the festival debate and will be available to see until 16 May.
To find our more about the project click here