She Was There: Exhibition and Work-in-Progress Performance

Exhibition Private Viewing 6.45PM-7.30PM

The artworks on display have been created by 17 women as part of a Collage Workshop and Political Art Workshop that were run by artist Tasnim Siddiqa Amin, researcher Dr Julia Giese and designer Heeva Raza at the Brady Arts and Community Centre. Working with archival material from Tower Hamlets Local History Library alongside a range of mixed media, participants explored the history of British Bangladeshi women's anti-racist activism in the 1970s and 80s, drawing on their own experiences of migration, racism, and resistance.

Artworks created by: Afra, Asma, Charlie, Hayette, Johura, Julie, Kolsuma, Jumnima, Malika, Munirah, Nancy, Nasrat, Rosita, Sadia, Siqing, Shirin, and Tasnim.

The results include collages and a decorated sari that will feature in a new performance created by Tasnim Siddiqa Amin and Elsie Frangou.

Performance, Q&A and Film Screenings 7.30PM-8.30PM

She Was There is a one-woman work-in-progress performance by Tasnim Siddiqa Amin, co-directed by Elsie Frangou, offering a first glimpse into a project rooted in research of the same name, led by Dr Julia Giese, funded by the University of Derby, and supported by Arts Development Officer Ruksana Begum (London Borough of Tower Hamlets). Drawing on archives, interviews, and two creative workshops, it brings to life the experiences of British Bangladeshi women who lived through and resisted racism in 1970s and 80s London.

The performance will be followed by a Q&A hosted by Dr Clelia Clini (London Metropolitan University), with collaborators Tasnim Siddiqa Amin and Dr Julia Giese, director Elsie Frangiou, and research participants from the project.

Film Screenings

'Here to Stay, Here to Fight' and 'Memories of Brick Lane Oral History Short Films' by Rainbow Film Collective and Four Corners.

She Was There Bios

Tasnim Siddiqa Amin is a British Bangladeshi artist, theatremaker and activist from East London. Her work is rooted in anti-racism and feminism, blending research with lived experience to create urgent, thought-provoking work. Her recent projects include “The Pigs are Coming” (2025) and “The Final Trumpet” (2024).

Dr Julia Giese is an interdisciplinary researcher based at the University of Derby. Interested in questions of belonging and collective memory, she works collaboratively, community-based, and creatively. Her recent book “Embodied Memory and Bengali Identities in Britain” was published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Heeva Raza is a product designer, inventor, artist and community worker with an MA in Product and Industrial Design at Central Saint Martins. Her work explores novel ways of creating both artistic and functional outcomes, rooted in compassionate creation.

Info: Photography and collage artwork

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